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:

Seasonal fruit inspiration book recommendations

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

Enjoyed this guide? You may also like:

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:

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