UK seasonal food « Penny Golightly

British seasonal food in October

October 13th, 2011 by Penny Golightly

I love October’s seasonal foods. It’s the perfect excuse to make a casserole, followed by a blackberry and apple crumble. Or maybe a bouillabaisse, followed by some nice cheese and biscuits. Or maybe some cream of cauliflower soup.

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.

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So, what are you going to cook?

Tags: British seasonal food, ingredients in season, october seasonal food, seasonal food, seasonal foods for October, UK seasonal food
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Seasonal foods in March

March 1st, 2010 by Penny Golightly

Seasonal food in March is pretty strange – there isn’t a lot of it, for a start. Much of March is traditionally known as the ‘hungry gap’, where stored foods are running out, most overwintering veggies are past their best, and the first Spring crops won’t be ready for a few more weeks.

Things are improving in the UK as growers extend growing seasons with polytunnels, coldframes and greenhouses, and try out new varieties of plants. Keep an eye out for any of the fresh homegrown foods you can get hold of, including:

Fruit: early/forced rhubarb, apples and pears from store.

Vegetables: asian greens, cabbage (green), chicory, endive, kale, leeks, nettle tops, parsley, parsnips, purple sprouting broccoli, sea kale, sorrel, spring greens, spring onions, swedes, wild garlic, winter varieties of lettuce.

Fish and shellfish: bass, brown crab, clams, cockles, pollack, young mackerel, mussels, rock oysters, sardines, scallops, sea trout, wild salmon.

Meat, poultry and game: not the top season for any meats in particular.

Cheeses: Cotherstone, Stilton. Comté, Roquefort.

I think I’ll be cooking up some bashed neeps (swedes) and wilted curly kale to serve with burgers or sausages, some noodle soup with Asian greens and shellfish, and some sprouting broccoli baked with eggs and garlic.

What are you going to cook? Do you have any favourite recipes?

Tags: British garden kitchen, British seasonal food, cheap fruit and veg, in season in March, March fruit and vegetables, UK food in season, UK seasonal food, vegetables in season
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Seasonal foods in November

November 21st, 2009 by Penny Golightly

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.

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.

mixedveg

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.

gamesign3

Cheeses: Ribblesdale. Saint-Nectaire, Vacherin Mont d’Or.

bigvacherin

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?

Tags: British seasonal food, cheap fruit and vegetables in November, chestnuts, festive seasonal foods, game season, imported fruit, kitchen garden, November ingredients, root vegetables in season, shellfish season, UK seasonal food
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Seasonal foods for August

August 10th, 2009 by Penny Golightly

If it’s in season, it’s at its best, and August has to be one of the best months in the food calendar for sheer variety. Most of the time these ingredients are cheaper too due to their abundance, especially if you’re buying fruit and veg at the market or the greengrocer.

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?

Tags: British seasonal food, cheap fruit and veg, cheap groceries, fish in season, foraging, fruits in season, game season, glorious twelfth, imported fruit, ingredients in season, mushroom season, ripe cheese, seasonal food, seasonal foods for August, summer fruits, summer salad, UK seasonal food, vegetables in season, wild food
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