British seasonal food in August
The latest guide to the best British seasonal food in August is here, bringing us a whole new crop of heat-loving fruits and vegetables to enjoy. If you’re a meat eater, August is also the month that the game season officially begins, starting from the 12th.
Here’s what to buy from the market, add to your veg box delivery, or pick from your kitchen garden or allotment over the next few weeks:
Fruit in season in August
British-grown fruit
- apples (first)
- apricots
- blackberries
- blackcurrants
- blueberries
- cherries
- damsons
- figs
- greengages
- gooseberries
- loganberries
- peaches
- plums
- raspberries
- redcurrants
- strawberries
- tayberries
- whitecurrants
Best imported seasonal fruit
- apricots
- Caribbean pineapple
- figs
- melon (Charentais, cantaloupe, galia)
- peaches
- nectarines
Nuts in season in August
- Kentish cobnuts
Recommended seasonal fruit inspiration:
- The Last Bite: Desserts Through the Year – Anna Higham
- River Cottage Fruit Every Day – Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
- Pam the Jam: The Book of Preserves – Pam Corbin
- Jams With a Twist: 70 Deliciously Different Recipes – Kylee Newton
Vegetables in season in August
- aubergines
- beetroot
- broccoli (summer sprouting and calabrese)
- broad beans
- celery
- chard
- chicory
- courgettes
- cucumbers
- endive
- fennel (Florence)
- green beans (French and runner)
- kohlrabi
- leeks (baby)
- lettuce and other salad leaves
- maincrop potatoes (first)
- mangetout
- marrows
- new potatoes
- okra
- pak choi
- parsnips
- peas
- peppers
- radishes
- shallots
- spinach
- spring onions
- summer squash
- sweetcorn
- tomatoes
- turnips
- watercress
[Available most months in good condition: button mushrooms, carrots, cauliflower, maincrop potatoes, onions, rocket.]
Recommended seasonal veg inspiration:
- The Magnificent Book of Vegetables – Alice Hart
- The Complete Vegetable Cookbook – James Strawbridge
- RHS Step-by-Step Veg Patch – Lucy Chamberlain
- Abel & Cole organic fruit & veg box deliveries
Herbs in season in August
- basil
- chervil
- chives
- coriander
- dill
- fennel
- lovage
- marjoram
- mint
- oregano
- parsley
- rosemary
- sage
- sorrel
- summer savory
- tarragon
- thyme
- winter savory
[Always available: chives, coriander and parsley grown under cover; older leaves of hardy perennials like bay, rosemary, sage, thyme.]
Wild / foraged food in season in August
- bilberries / blaeberries
- crabapples
- samphire (marsh and rock)
- wild damsons
- wild mushrooms (ceps/penny bun, chanterelles, field, puffball, truffles)
[Take great care when foraging as it’s very easy to confuse edible and poisonous ingredients.]
Recommended foraging & wild food inspiration:
- The Magnificent Book of Vegetables – Alice Hart
- The Complete Vegetable Cookbook – James Strawbridge
- RHS Step-by-Step Veg Patch – Lucy Chamberlain
- Abel & Cole organic fruit & veg box deliveries
Fish in season in August
Seasonal fish varies greatly in different fishing grounds around the UK, and also from year to year as stock levels and stewardship recommendations change, but here’s a rough guide to what’s on sale now.
Sustainable UK fish
- brown crab
- coley / saithe
- common sole / Dover sole
- dab
- flounder
- haddock
- hake
- herring / sild
- monkfish
- plaice
- pollock
- pouting / bib
- spider crab
- sprat / whitebait
[To the best of my knowledge the list above excludes critically endangered fish but the guidelines change regularly. Visit The Good Fish Guide from the Marine Conservation Society for their latest lists.]
Fish in season in August, less sustainable
- cod
- crayfish
- mackerel
- sardines / pilchard
- seabream
- squid
- whiting
- wild halibut
- wild salmon
[In good condition almost all year: herring, farmed sea bream and turbot, megrim sole, sustainably-fished monkfish, rope-grown mussels, prawns.]
Recommended fish & shellfish inspiration:
- Fish & Shellfish: The Definitive Guide – Rick Stein
- Fish for Dinner: Delicious Seafood Recipes – Nathan Outlaw
- The Seafood Shack – Kirsty Scobie & Fenella Renwick
- Fish – Sophie Grigson & William Black
Meat, poultry and game in season in August
- grouse (from the 12th of August)
- hare
- lamb
- snipe
- venison (wild red deer)
[Always available in good condition: beef, chicken, pork, rabbit, farmed venison, wood pigeon.]
Recommended meat, poultry & game inspiration:
- Tom Kitchin’s Meat and Game
- Lidgate’s The Meat Cookbook
- Game: River Cottage Handbook No.15
- The Meat Cookbook: Know the Cuts, Master the Skills
Cheese in season in August
British made cheese this month
- Farmhouse Cheddar
- goat’s cheese
Imported seasonal cheeses
- Camembert
- Reblochon
[Many quality mature cheeses are available year-round, especially hard cheeses.]
Recommended cheese & wine inspiration:
- A Cheesemonger’s Compendium of British & Irish Cheese – Ned Palmer
- World Cheese Book – DK & Juliet Harbutt
- Which Wine When: What to drink with the food you love – Claire Strickett
- CheeseGeek seasonal cheese subscriptions & gifts
Enjoyed this guide? You may also like:
- British seasonal food in July
- British seasonal food in September
- Grow your own fruit & veg on a budget
Favourite British seasonal food in August
August is always a good month for homegrown fresh fruit and veggies, we’re overflowing with cherry and plum tomatoes here, as well as plenty of herbs, cucumbers and courgettes. We’ve also treated ourselves to imported watermelon and padron peppers for tasty meals that beat the heat.
Do you have any favourite August ingredients on this seasonal food list?
Recommended general seasonal inspiration:
- The Almanac: A Seasonal Guide to 2023 – Lia Leendertz
- Home Cookery Year: Four Seasons, Over 200 Recipes – Claire Thomson
- The Modern Cook’s Year: 250 vibrant vegetable recipes – Anna Jones
- RHS Grow Your Own Veg & Fruit Bible – Carol Klein
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