British seasonal food in August – what to eat now
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 & preserves books
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 books & box delivery
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.]
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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 books
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
- brill
- 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
- seabass
- seabream
- squid
- whiting
- wild halibut
- wild salmon
[In good condition almost all year: herring, farmed sea bream, seabass and turbot, megrim sole, sustainably-fished monkfish, rope-grown mussels, prawns.]
Recommended fish & shellfish books
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 books
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 books + delivery
Enjoying this guide? You may also like:
- British seasonal food in July
- British seasonal food in September
- What to sow & do in an August kitchen garden
- Top summer supermarket wines under £5 & £10
Favourite British seasonal food in August
August is always a good month for homegrown fresh fruit and veggies, and I’m looking forward to some chargrilled courgettes and peppers for Mediterranean style dinners .
We’ve also treated ourselves to imported watermelon and nectarines, and I think I’ll be making a cheesemonger trip soon too – maybe a baked new season camembert or a goat cheese tart is in our future…
Recommended seasonal inspiration books
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Do you have any favourite August seasonal ingredients or recipes? Leave us a message in the comments box below!
