OK, I missed out October. Bad Penny. But I’m back in Blighty now and cooking up a storm with some seasonal food.
It’s fresh, it’s tasty, and there’s a lot of it. Most of the veggies you can grow yourself if you have some outside space and green fingers, you might be able to forage some of the other ingredients for free, and what turns up at market often arrives in bulk so market forces keep the prices low.
Unlike other guides, I’ve separated the UK-produced foods out from the imported goods in case some of you want to ‘buy local’ or avoid premium prices. The rarer or imported items are more of a treat, if you have a larger budget.
If you’re a game fan, November is the month for you, and it’s also the season for plenty of fish and shellfish as the water around our islands gets colder. It’s a good time for fans of nuts and exotic fruits too, so there’s something for everyone as a festive tinge creeps in.
So, on with the show… the mouth-watering seasonal foods you can find in November:
Fruit: almonds, apples, cranberries, hazelnuts, medlars, pears, plums, quinces, walnuts. Imported brazil nuts, chestnuts, clementines, dates, pineapples, pomegranates, satsumas.
Vegetables: asian greens, broccoli, brussels sprouts and tops, cabbage (red and green), cardoons, celeriac, celery, chicory, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, parsnips, pumpkins and squashes, rocket, salsify and scorzonera, seaweed, spinach, spring onions, swedes, turnips, wild mushrooms.
Fish and shellfish: brown hen crab, brown shrimp, cod, halibut, herring, lobster, mackerel, mussels, native and rock oysters, sea bass, sea bream, sole, sprats, squid, whiting.
Meat, poultry and game: goose, grouse, wild duck, partridge, pheasant, traditional varieties of pork, woodcock.
Cheeses: Ribblesdale. Saint-Nectaire, Vacherin Mont d’Or.
Mmmmm Vacherin. Time to visit the cheesemonger and break out the crackers. It could also be time to make a casseorole of some sort with all those lovely winter root veggies arriving at the market. Think I’ll go up to the only cheap fruit and veg stall at Borough Market around closing time and see if they’ll do me a deal on a job lot…
What are you going to cook?
