Anyway, here’s what’s waiting for you at the market this month. Get stuck in.

Fruit: new season apples, blackberries, crab apples, damsons, elderberries, figs, hazelnuts, juniper berries, Kentish cobnuts, pears, plums, quinces, raspberries, sloes, sweet chestnuts, walnuts.

Vegetables: asian greens, autumn and red cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts and tops, cardoons, cauliflower at its peak, celeriac, celery, chicory, courgettes finishing, fennel, Jerusalem artichoke, kale, kohlrabi, last of the lettuce, leeks, peppers, marrow, mushrooms (chanterelles, ceps, hedgehog fungus, horn of plenty), parsnips, pumpkins and squashes, radishes, rocket, salsify and scorzonera, spinach, spring onions, swedes, sweetcorn, turnips, watercress.

Fish and shellfish: brill, brown hen crab, brown shrimp, cod, Dover sole, eels, lobster, mackerel, mussels, native and rock oysters, prawns, scallops, sea bass, sprats, squid, spider crab, squid, turbot, wild salmon.

Meat, poultry and game: Autumn lamb, grouse, wild duck, partridge, pheasant, woodcock.

Cheeses: Caerphilly. Gruyere, Saint-Nectaire and all the other main French hard cheeses.

***

So, what are you going to cook?

He’s the clever clogs behind the dishes at the Michelin-starred Maze. The premise of the book is that you can have fine dining for a fiver per head, by which he means a light-ish two-course meal (starter and main, or main and dessert) without drinks.

Without a doubt this is dinner party food, or a hearty lunch for foodies, and the recipes are all to serve four people. It’s easy enough to scale the portions up or down too. In order for it to truly be a meal for a fiver you have to have quite a few store cupboard staples already otherwise you’ll be buying in extra ingredients that can cost a fair bit for a whole bottle or packet.

It also helps if you live near a decent fishmonger or butcher, as there are many ingredients that work out great value for money and are very tasty indeed, but you’re unlikely to get them from the average supermarket. Likewise, some of the flavourings would be best purchased from an Indian grocery shop, or a Chinese or Thai supermarket.

The book also relies on seasonal foods, things that are at their best and also hopefully cheaper because they’re plentiful. I’d say that you’d need to be a fairly confident cook to tackle some of the dishes, intermediate to advanced level mainly, but you’d be able to make some real show-stoppers.

It’s the chef-y touches that really make this book, including the ‘plating up’ directions. It’s all designed to look beautiful when you serve it up, and each recipe is accompanied by a full page colour photo. The desserts are stunning.

If I’m going to be niggly, some of the chef-yness is also a slight drawback at times as the home cook cannot haggle for trade discounts on ingredients and loses out on economies of scale. One example is the creation of a pudding that’s entirely made from staple ingredients, which then has ’15g of fresh coconut’ shaved over the top of it – fine of you’re making 20 in a restaurant kitchen, not within budget for the average home cook as it’s impossible to buy this amount on its own. This is where experience and ability to improvise comes in handy, as a little grated chocolate or sprinkle of toasted dessicated coconut could be possible substitutes.

In summary: a very beautiful cookbook with fresh, innovative recipes and seasonal ingredients. Not one for beginners, but definitely a book to consider if you’d like to shake up your romantic dinner repertoire or try something new when you’re feeding your foodie friends. Worth it for the desserts alone.

Gourmet food for a fiver by Jason Atherton is published by Quadrille Ltd and has an RRP of £14.99. It’s currently available from Amazon priced £7.70 and qualifies for free Super Saver delivery.

Lots of UK gardeners have had problems getting crops to ripen this year due a lack of sunny days during the crucial months. In particular, quite a few people have complained to me about green tomatoes so stay tuned for ripening methods and the tastiest ways to use up the ones that stubbornly refuse to ripen. Meanwhile, on with the seasonal show:

Fruit & nuts: apples, bilberries, blackberries, blueberries, crab apples, damsons, elderberries, figs, grapes, greengages, juniper berries, first Kentish cobnuts, loganberries, pears, plums, raspberries, sloes. Imported: melons, nectarines and peaches.

Vegetables: all salad leaves, asian greens, aubergines, beetroot, broccoli, late summer cauliflower, celery, chard, chillies, chives, courgettes, cucumbers, fennel, globe artichokes, green beans (French, runner, and borlotto pods), green and red cabbage, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, marrows, peppers, pumpkins (put first Winter ones aside to mature rather than eat), radishes, red onions, rocket, salsify and scorzonera, samphire, shallots, sorrel, spinach, spring onions, squashes, swedes, sweetcorn, summer squash, tomatoes, watercress, wild mushrooms (ceps, chanterelles, oyster, puffball, shaggy ink cap and more).

Fish and shellfish: black bream, brown and rainbow trout, brown hen crabs, brown shrimp, clams, cockles, Dover sole, eels, lobster, mussels, native oysters, pilchards, plaice, prawns, scallops, sea bass, signal crayfish, skate, sprats, squid, turbot.

Meat, poultry and game: Michaelmas goose, Autumn lamb, grouse, partridge, venison at its best, wild duck.

Cheeses: UK: Double Gloucester, Farmhouse Cheshire. French: Brie de Meaux. (For other French seasonal cheeses see this table at baudelet.net).

***

What are you going to cook? Ideas please!

Many problems can be overcome by chucking expensive chemicals at them, but it isn’t a guaranteed fix and you wouldn’t necessarily want to eat your veggies afterwards.

Let’s start with a little ‘murder mystery’, shall we? Look at the picture below and guess what disease or creature caused this damage to this sprouting broccoli plant.

Competition: The first correct ‘Diagnosis Murder’ answer left in the comments section below will win a mini-collection of vegetable seeds suitable for growing in a small garden. (UK entrants only). The answer will be revealed on Friday morning so you’ll need to be quick.

The garden has been very productive for the most part, but there have been problems with animals of all sizes:

• pets (not all of them mine)
• ants
• blackfly and other aphids
• slugs and snails
• foxes
• assorted birds
• butterflies and moths
• beet leaf miners
• wasps

Amazingly there was no carrot root fly, but that’s probably because I did some companion planting and stuck to the rules about thinning and harvesting. I’ll write about those on another occasion.

Plus there have been problems with diseases, mainly:

• Downy mildew
• Rust
• Mosaic virus
• General stem rot

The one thing I was most worried about was blight, but the area I live in escaped somehow so we ended up with strong and healthy tomato and potato plants. That could have been because we had some long hot stretches over the summer, or it could have been blind luck.

I’ll be writing about all kinds of garden pests and diseases – and how to cheaply stop them destroying all your crops – over the next few weeks, as the gardening year starts to take shape. On Friday I’ll begin by tackling our mystery ‘friend’ from the crime scene above.

Have you had problems with any garden pests or diseases? Did you manage to deal with them without using harsh chemicals? Any tips for other growers?

Fruit: apples from store, early forced rhubarb.

Vegetables: Asian greens, cabbage (white and green), celeriac, chicory, endive, Jerusalem artichokes, kale, leeks, new season garlic, parsnips, salsify and scorzonera, spring onions, the last sprouts and sprout tops, swedes, turnips, wild garlic.

Fish and shellfish: brown crab, clams, cockles, cod, cuttlefish, dab, gurnard, hake, halibut, lemon sole and other flat fish (plaice, sole), mackerel, mussels, native oysters, pike, pink prawns, scallops, wild salmon.

Meat, poultry and game:  hare, rabbit.

Cheeses: Blue Cheshire, Cotherstone, Farmhouse Cheddar, Stilton, Blue Wensleydale. Bleu des Causses, Brie de Meaux, Tomme Arlesienne.

This month I’ll be finishing off those last sprouts and the sprout top with Sunday lunches, and making some kind of a casserole with root veggies, herby dumplings and loads of gravy.

Already had some Jerusalem artichoke soup, line caught cod, mussels, creamed leeks, rhubarb trifle and a tiny piece of Tomme. All fresh, all gorgeous.

What are you going to cook?

So, what’s good to eat right now?

Fruit: rhubarb, strawberries. Imported Alphonso mangoes.

Vegetables: Asian greens, British asparagus, baby broad beans, cabbage (green), chervil, chives, cucumbers, Jersey Royal potatoes, lovage, lettuce, mint, morel mushrooms, parsley, radishes, rocket, samphire, sea kale, sorrel, spinach, spring greens, spring onions, summer savoury, watercress, wild garlic. Imported Hass avocado.

Fish and shellfish: brown shrimp, crab, cuttlefish, haddock, mackerel, pollack, prawns, sardines, sea bass, sea trout, signal crayfish, Spring lobster, wild salmon.

Meat, poultry and game: duck eggs, new season lamb, poussin (Spring chicken).

Cheeses: ewe’s milk cheeses, Stinking Bishop, Bonchester, English soft cheeses, Sharpham, Wheatland. Bleu d’Auvergene, Chabichou, Reblochon. Pecorino (early).

Can’t wait to get down to the market for some fresh Pecorino, to serve up with my home grown parsley and baby broad beans. What are you going to cook?

Fruit: early strawberries, rhubarb, last apples and pears from store. Imported Alphonso mangoes towards the end of the month.

Vegetables: asian greens, cabbage (green), chervil, chicory, chives, cucumbers, early asparagus, early Jersey Royal potatoes, lettuce and other salad leaves, morel mushrooms, nettles, purple sprouting broccoli, radishes, sea kale, sorrel, spring greens, spring onions, watercress, wild garlic.

Fish and shellfish: brown crab, brown shrimp, cockles, john dory, langoustine, lobster, red mullet, pollack, prawns, native oysters, sea bass, sea trout, wild salmon.

Meat, poultry and game: Spring lamb, Welsh lamb.

Cheeses: early British fresh-flavoured goats cheese, ewe’s milk cheeses.

Can’t wait for the first Jersey Royals. I’m also looking forward to buying a crate of mangoes and having them for breakfast, for dessert (try them sliced into a rice pudding with a couple of green cardamom pods), in salads, in smoothies and just maybe in a cocktail or two with some lime and coconut. Mmmmm.

What are you going to cook?

In quick summary, it’s the grow-your-own-food book I really hoped that somebody would write because it’s exactly what I wanted to buy. It has the advantage of being written by a foodie and professional cook, so it starts with delicious fruit and veg you’d want to eat rather than just basic stuff you can grow.

It’s a very impressive book, and is so beautifully laid out and illustrated that I’d have to describe it as ‘allotment porn’. First and foremost, you don’t actually need to have an allotment to get the most out of New Urban Farmer – it’s fine if you have a small garden, a raised bed, or containers such as pots or window boxes. Best of all, if you’re new to food gardening or coming back to it after a break, it gives you a comprehensive overview of what’s possible in a smallish space and tell you the basics of what you need to do to get started and keep going. The most important points of pest and disease control are covered, as are green issues.

The chapters run month by month, and there’s a handy table in each chapter to tell you what to plant indoors, what to plant outdoors, what you can plant in containers, and what to pick for eating. Next to each what-to-pick there’s also a page reference for growing tips or recipes. The recipes really make the book, and are all innovative and either vegetarian or vegan. Every chapter gives you a list of the most important jobs to do around the garden that month too.

The writing style is conversational and largely practical, and the author communicates her enthusiasm very effectively. At the end of the book there’s a helpful list of recommended suppliers (I’ve used many of them in the past and have to agree), and another list of further reading. If I was being picky, I’d say that one minor fault in the book is a lack of mention of specific plant varieties, so you get generic ‘beetroot’ without mention of, say, the ‘Boltardy’ variety that new gardeners might find easy to grow. However, that is a minor gripe and there’s a limit to how much information you can put into a book of this nature without making it overlong.

To conclude, New Urban Farmer is an extremely attractive book aimed at new or returning food gardeners. It’s inspiring and engaging, and would make a lovely gift or you could just buy a copy as a treat for yourself.

New Urban Farmer by Celia Brooks Brown, published by Quadrille on 5th March 2010, with an RRP of £14.99

What’s in season in September?

Fruit: apples, bilberries, blackberries, blueberries, damsons, elderberries, figs, grapes, greengages, juniper berries, Kentish cobnuts, loganberries, pears, plums, raspberries, sloes. Imported melons, nectarines, peaches.

Vegetables: all salad leaves, asian greens, aubergines, broccoli, celery, chillies, chives, courgettes, cucumbers, fennel, globe artichokes, green beans, green and red cabbage, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, leeks, marrows, peppers, pumpkins and squashes, radishes, red onions, rocket, salsify and scorzonera, samphire, sorrel, spinach, spring onions, swedes, sweetcorn, summer squash, tomatoes, watercress, wild mushrooms (ceps, chanterelles, oyster, puffball, shaggy ink cap and more).

Fish and shellfish: black bream, brown and rainbow trout, brown hen crabs, brown shrimp, clams, Dover sole, eels, lobster, mussels, native oysters, pilchards, plaice, prawns, scallops, sea bass, signal crayfish, skate, sprats, squid, turbot.

Meat, poultry and game: Michaelmas goose, Autumn lamb, grouse, partridge, venison at its best, wild duck.

Cheeses: Double Gloucester, Farmhouse Cheshire. Brie de Meaux.

What are you going to cook?

I feel an apple and blackberry crumble coming on, and maybe some spicy crab cakes.

What’s in season for August?

Fruit: apricots, bilberries, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, currants (black, red, white), early apples, early damsons, figs, greengages, gooseberries, loganberries, peaches, plums, raspberries, strawberries and wild strawberries. Imported melons, nectarines.

Vegetables: aubergines, basil, broad beans, broccoli and calabrese, celery, chives, courgettes, cucumbers, fennel, globe artichokes, green beans, horseradish, kohlrabi, lamb’s lettuce, lettuce, mushrooms (ceps, chanterelles, field, oyster, porcini, puffball, shaggy ink cap), new potatoes, peas, peppers, radishes, rocket, samphire, sorrel, spinach, spring onions, summer squash, sweetcorn, tarragon, tomatoes, watercress.

Fish and shellfish: black bream, brown and rainbow trout, brown crab, crayfish, Dover sole, haddock, herring, john dory, lobster, pilchards, pollack, prawns, red and grey mullet, salmon, sea bass, squid.

Meat, poultry and game: grouse from the 12^th, hare at its best.

Cheeses: Farmhouse Cheddar, British goats’ cheese. Chaource, Charolles, Valencay.

While I’d like a fancy Dover sole dinner more than anything right now, I think it’d be more realistic to settle for some blueberries and cherries (is it my imagination or is there a glut of them this year?), or maybe some roasted squash soup or risotto.

What are you going to cook?