British seasonal food in June
As the weather becomes more summery, British seasonal food in June starts to become more varied and colourful. Look out for fresh homegrown berries, salads, peas and beans. There are also some interesting seasonal imports if you can get hold of them at the moment.
Here’s the big list of what’s most likely to be best to buy, or pick from your garden or allotment, this month.
Fruit in season in June
British-grown fruit this month
- blackcurrants
- cherries
- gooseberries
- raspberries
- redcurrants
- rhubarb
- strawberries
- tayberries
Best imported seasonal fruit
- apricots
- melons (Charentais, cantaloupe, galia)
- honey mangoes
- nectarines
- peaches
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 June
There’s so much to choose from at this time of year:
- asparagus
- beetroot
- broad beans
- broccoli (calabrese)
- carrots
- chard
- courgettes (baby, flowers)
- cucumber,
- fennel (Florence)
- globe artichokes
- green beans (French and runner)
- lettuce and other salad leaves
- mangetout
- new potatoes (including last Jersey Royals)
- onions (first new season)
- peas
- radishes
- spinach
- spring onions
- summer cabbages
- 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 June
- basil
- chervil
- chives
- coriander
- fennel
- lovage
- marjoram
- mint
- oregano
- parsley
- rosemary
- sage
- sorrel
- summer savory
- tarragon
- thyme
[Always available: chives, coriander and parsley grown under cover; older leaves of hardy perennials like bay, rosemary, sage, thyme.]
Wild / foraged UK food in June
- elderflowers
- samphire (rock)
[Take great care when foraging as it’s easy to confuse edible and poisonous ingredients.]
Recommended foraging & wild food inspiration:
- The Forager’s Calendar: A Seasonal Guide by John Wright
- Food for Free: 50th Anniversary Edition – Richard Mabey
- Wild Food: A Complete Guide for Foragers – Roger Philips
- Concise Foraging Guide – Tiffany Francis-Baker
Fish in season in June
Seasonal fish varies greatly around the UK, and from one year to the next, but here’s a rough guide to what’s on sale fresh this June.
Sustainable fish this month
- coley / saithe
- crab (brown / edible)
- flounder
- halibut (farmed)
- mussels (farmed)
- plaice
- pollock
- pouting / bib, prawns (northern)
- rainbow trout (farmed)
- turbot (farmed)
[To the best of my knowledge, the list above excludes critically endangered fish. Visit The Good Fish Guide from the Marine Conservation Society to check their latest lists.]
Fish in June, less sustainable
You should be able to find most of these via a responsible fishmonger too:
- brown shrimp
- whitebait
- whiting
- wild halibut (best to avoid completely)
- wild salmon
- wild seabream
[In good condition almost all year: farmed clams, farmed halibut, herring, farmed seabream and turbot, megrim sole, sustainably-fished monkfish, rope-grown mussels, prawns.]
Recommended fish & shellfish books
Fish & Shellfish
Fish for Dinner
Seafood shack
Grigson’s Fish
Meat, poultry and game in season in June
Okay, not the busiest month for these ingredients, but this is at its best:
- lamb
[Always available in good condition: beef, chicken, pork, rabbit, farmed venison, wood pigeon.]
Recommended meat, poultry and 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 June
British-made cheeses
- farmhouse Cheddar
- ewe’s milk cheeses
- fresh goat cheeses
- Stinking Bishop
Imported seasonal cheese
- Camembert
[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
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Favourite British seasonal food in June
Here at Golightly Gardens we’ve been enjoying freshly-picked wild strawberries on the sunny days, and homemade rhubarb crumble on rainy evenings. We’ve also had a few pea shoots and baby leaf salads for a taste of fresh greens.
Do you have any seasonal favourites that you’re looking forward to this month? Let us know in the comments box below.
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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