British seasonal food in April

Welcome to my guide to the best British seasonal food in April. Pick these ingredients fresh this month from your allotment or kitchen garden, or find some tasty treats via a good greengrocer or your neighbourhood box scheme.

Enjoy April’s new green shoots and help yourself to spinach, leaf beet, turnip tops and chard, and look out for ‘hungry gap’ varieties of kale. You can also find fresh herbs, oriental greens and salads this month that have been grown under cover. Other monthly seasonal treats include wild Spring mushrooms, brown crab, and imported exotic fruits.

Here’s what’s at its best right now:

British fruit in season in April

British seasonal fruit in April and imports UK fruits in season — Clockwise from top left: apples, pineapple, rhubarb, Alphonso mangoes

British grown fruit

apples (from store)
rhubarb (outdoor grown)

Best imported seasonal fruit

Alphonso mangoes
pineapples

Recommended seasonal fruit inspiration:

Seasonal fruit inspiration book recommendations

Vegetables in season in April

British Seasonal Food in April vegetables veg UK — Clockwise from top left: asparagus, purple sprouting broccoli, Jersey Royal new potatoes, spring greens

asparagus (early spears)
celeriac
chard
Jersey Royal potatoes
kale
leaf beet (perpetual spinach)
leeks
lettuce and other salad leaves
parsnips
purple sprouting broccoli
radishes
seakale
spinach
spring greens and spring cabbage
spring onions
turnip tops
watercress

[Available most months in good condition: broccoli, button mushrooms, carrots, cauliflower, maincrop potatoes, onions, rocket.]

Recommended seasonal veg inspiration:

Herbs in season in April

basil
chervil
chives
lovage
mint
parsley
sorrel
tarragon
thyme

[Always available: chives, coriander, parsley grown under cover; older leaves of hardy perennials like bay, rosemary, sage, thyme.]

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Wild / foraged food in season in April

British Seasonal Food in April wild foraged food uk — Clockwise from top left: nettle tops, rock samphire, wild garlic, morel mushrooms

morel mushrooms
nettle tops
St. George’s mushrooms
samphire (rock)
wild garlic

[Take great care when foraging as it’s easy to confuse edible and poisonous ingredients.]

Recommended wild & foraged food inspiration:

Fish in season in April

British Seasonal Food in April fish shellfish seafood UK — Clockwise from top left: red gurnard, pollock, brown crab, plaice

Fish in season in April, sustainable

The availability of fish and seafood varies a lot around different areas of the UK, and it changes in response to conservation, overfishing and general weather conditions. With that in mind, these are your most sustainable in-season fish options for this month:

clams (farmed Manila)
coley / saithe
crab (brown)
gurnard (red)
herring / sild
lobster (European)
plaice
pollock
prawns
sprat / whitebait

[Your location in the UK may affect which types of fish are most readily available. To the best of my knowledge, the list above excludes critically endangered fish but please visit The Good Fish Guide from the Marine Conservation Society for the latest lists as they can change quite significantly from year to year.]

Fish in season in April, less sustainable

You might also be able to source these sustainably from responsible fishmongers:

brown shrimp
razor clams
langoustines / scampi
native oysters
whelks

[In good condition almost all year: herring/sild, farmed halibut, farmed sea bream and turbot, megrim sole, sustainably-fished monkfish, rope-grown mussels, prawns, rainbow trout.]

Recommended fish & shellfish inspiration:

Meat, poultry and game in season in April

British Seasonal Food in April meat game and poultry UK — Left to right: roe deer, Welsh lamb

roe buck deer
spring lamb
Welsh lamb

[Always available in good condition: beef, chicken, pork, rabbit, farmed venison, wood pigeon.]

Recommended meat, poultry & game inspiration:

Cheese in season in April

British Seasonal Food in April cheese cheeses UK and French — Clockwise from top left: ewe’s milk cheese, Single Gloucester, Celtic Capra goat cheese, Coulommiers

British-made seasonal cheeses in April

ewe’s milk cheeses
fresh flavoured goat’s milk cheeses
Single Gloucester (hay-fed cow’s milk cheese)

Imported seasonal cheeses in April

Coulommiers

[Many quality mature cheeses are available year-round, especially hard cheeses.]

Recommended cheese & wine inspiration:

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What we’re eating at Golightly Gardens

I really fancied a treat so I’ve ordered some British asparagus to enjoy over the Easter weekend, so that’s a little taste of luxury I’m very much looking forward to.

At some point I’m going to take a long walk to the nearest greengrocer as well, and hunt down some of my favourite fragrant Alphonso mangoes too, because there’s nothing quite like them and you can only buy them for a couple of weeks or so in April.

Which April seasonal foods are going on your shopping list this month? Do you have any favourite recipes for this time of year?

Recommended general seasonal inspiration:

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British seasonal food in April