British seasonal food in December

As the year draws to a close, it’s time for hearty meals and feasting. There’s plenty of delicious British seasonal food in December, so fill your boots.

Look out for traditional Brussels sprouts and parsnips on the festive table, apples for baking in crumbles and pies with plenty of cinnamon, imported treats such as dates and clementines, British turkey and game, some of the best fish and shellfish, and Christmassy cheeses.

British fruit in season in December

British Seasonal Food in December homegrown and imported fruit and nuts
Clockwise from top left: sweet chestnuts, clementines, medjool dates, cranberries

Home-grown fruit

  • apples
  • cranberries
  • medlars
  • pears (from store)
  • quinces

Best imported seasonal fruit

  • clementines
  • dates
  • passion fruit
  • pineapples (Caribbean)
  • pomegranates
  • easy peelers (satsumas, tangerines etc)

Nuts in season in December

  • almonds (imported)
  • hazelnuts (from store)
  • sweet chestnuts (imported or from store)
  • walnuts (from store)

Recommended seasonal fruit inspiration:

Seasonal fruit inspiration book recommendations

Vegetables in season in December

British Seasonal Food in December vegetables veg UK
Clockwise from top left: red cabbage, brussels sprouts, parsnips, celery

  • beetroot (stored)
  • Brussels sprouts and sprout tops
  • celeriac
  • celery (white fenland)
  • chard (grown under cover)
  • chicory
  • endive
  • Jerusalem artichokes
  • kale
  • leeks
  • pak choi (grown under cover)
  • parsnips
  • pumpkin and winter squash (from store)
  • salsify
  • scorzonera
  • swedes
  • turnips
  • winter cabbage (Savoy, red, white)
  • winter radish (stored)
  • winter salad leaves (grown under cover)

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

Recommended seasonal veg inspiration:

Herbs in season in December

  • thyme
  • winter savory

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

Wild / foraged food in season in December

British Seasonal Food in December wild foraged food uk
Left to right: sloes, black truffle

The colder it gets, the harder it is to find foraged food, but you might still be lucky with these two ingredients.

  • sloes
  • wild mushrooms (winter chanterelles, truffle)

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

Recommended foraged & wild food inspiration:

Fish in season in December

British Seasonal Food in December fish shellfish seafood UK
Clockwise from top left: king scallops, haddock, oysters, turbot

Seasonal fish varies greatly around the UK, and from year to year, but here’s a rough guide to what’s on sale now and considered to be more sustainable.

British sustainable fish

  • brill
  • clams
  • cockles
  • coley / saithe
  • crab (spider)
  • dab
  • flounder
  • gurnard (grey & red)
  • haddock
  • hake
  • halibut (farmed)
  • herring
  • mackerel
  • monkfish
  • mussels
  • oysters
  • pike
  • plaice
  • pollock
  • pouting / bib
  • prawns
  • sole (Dover / common, lemon, Torbay / witch)
  • sprat / whitebait
  • trout
  • wild turbot

[To the best of my knowledge, the list above excludes critically endangered fish. Visit The Good Fish Guide from the Marine Conservation Society for the latest lists which change regularly.]

Less sustainable December fish

  • cod
  • cuttlefish
  • langoustine / scampi
  • scallops (King)
  • seabass (wild)
  • seabream
  • whelks
  • whiting

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

Recommended seasonal fish & shellfish inspiration:

Meat, poultry and game in season in December

British Seasonal Food in December meat game and poultry UK
Clockwise from top left: goose, partridge, turkey, red deer

  • capercaillie
  • hare
  • mallard
  • partridge
  • pheasant
  • snipe
  • teal
  • turkey (best quality breeds)
  • venison (red deer, fallow deer, sika deer, roe does)
  • widgeon
  • wild duck
  • wild goose
  • woodcock
  • wood pigeon

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

Recommended seasonal meat, game & poultry inspiration:

Cheese in season in December

British Seasonal Food in December cheese cheeses UK French
Clockwise from top left: Vacherin Mont d’Or, Wensleydale, Blue Stilton, Munster d’Alsace cheese

British-made cheese in season

  • Blue Wensleydale
  • Stilton

Imported December cheeses

  • Munster
  • Vacherin Mont d’Or

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

Recommended seasonal cheese & wine inspiration:

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It will soon be time to put out a big bowl of nuts in their shells – along with the chocolates, let’s be honest – and cook up some ‘mince pie’ filo pastries with veggie mincemeat and chopped satsumas, for ’tis the season for ALL THE FOOD and all that, and I prefer the slightly fresher flavours compared to your standard issue mince pie.

I’m also planning on making a chocolate layer cake with chestnut cream for a special occasion, and of course we’ll be cracking out the sprouts, more roast parsnips and cranberry sauce on Christmas Day.

What will you be cooking and eating this December? Any seasonal food favourites you can’t miss? Let us know in the comments below.

Recommended general seasonal inspiration:

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