British seasonal food in July
Welcome to our guide to the best British seasonal food in July. It’s an abundant month as warmer weather and stronger sunshine bring us a wider range of homegrown produce.
There’s plenty to buy at the market, or pick in a kitchen garden, allotment, or grow-your-own pots on the patio. Here’s the big list of the best fresh ingredients to buy and eat this month:
Fruit in season in July
British-grown fruit this month
- apricots
- blackberries
- blackcurrants
- blueberries
- cherries
- figs
- gooseberries
- loganberries
- peaches
- raspberries
- redcurrants
- rhubarb
- strawberries
- tayberries
- whitecurrants
Best imported seasonal fruit
- apricots
- figs
- melon (Charentais, cantaloupe, galia)
- nectarines
- peaches
- pineapples
Recommended seasonal fruit & preserves books
This site may get paid a small amount of commission for purchases made after clicking a link in this post. There’s no extra cost to you & it keeps us going so please support us if you can.
Vegetables in season in July
- aubergines
- beetroot
- broad beans
- broccoli (calabrese)
- cabbages (summer, red)
- celery
- chard
- chicory
- courgettes
- cucumbers
- fennel (Florence)
- globe artichokes
- green beans (French and runner)
- kohlrabi
- leaf beet (perpetual spinach)
- lettuce and other salad leaves
- mangetout
- marrows
- new potatoes
- okra
- pak choi
- peas
- peppers
- radishes
- shallots
- spinach
- spring onions
- summer squash
- 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 July
- basil
- chervil
- chives
- coriander
- dill
- fennel
- lovage
- marjoram
- mint
- oregano
- parsley
- rosemary
- sage
- sorrel
- summer savory
- tarragon
- thyme
- winter savory
[Always available: chives, coriander, parsley grown under cover; older leaves of hardy perennials like bay, rosemary, sage, thyme.]
Get your free printable menu planner!
Wild / foraged food in season in July
- bilberries and blaeberries (wild blueberries)
- elderflowers
- puffball mushrooms
- samphire (marsh and rock)
- Scottish girolles (golden chanterelles)
[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 July
July is a good month for flatfish that are now out of their spawning season. There’s some shellfish available such as Atlantic prawns and crab, plus fresh mackerel and sardines to marinade and throw on the barbecue.
Seasonal fish varies greatly around the UK and from year to year, for complex reasons including geography, climate change and overfishing. It’s a real labour of love trying to keep up with it all. If in doubt about sustainability, look for farmed fish or responsibly fished wild varieties from a reliable fishmonger.
Here’s a rough guide to what fish and seafood is most sustainable, in season and on sale now in July:
Sustainable British fish varieties
- brill
- coley / saithe
- crab (brown)
- dab
- flounder
- haddock
- herring / sild
- mackerel
- plaice
- pollock
- pouting / bib
- cold water prawns
- common sole / Dover sole
[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 are regularly updated.]
Fish in season in July, less sustainable
You can still find most of these fished using sustainable methods via a good fishmonger.
- cod
- lemon sole
- sardines / pilchards
- squid
- whiting
- wild halibut (best to avoid completely)
- wild salmon
- wild seabream
[In good condition almost all year: herring, farmed halibut, farmed sea bream, farmed turbot, megrim sole, sustainably-fished monkfish, rope-grown mussels, prawns.]
Recommended fish & shellfish books
Meat, poultry and game in season in July
- lamb (including salt marsh lamb)
- 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 July
British cheeses this month
- fresh goat’s cheese
- Stinking Bishop
Imported cheeses in July
- Camembert
- Reblochon
- Saint Marcellin
[Many quality mature cheeses are available year-round, especially hard cheese types.]
Recommended cheese & wine books + delivery
Enjoying this guide? You may also like:
- British seasonal food in June
- British seasonal food in August
- What to sow & do in a July kitchen garden
- Top summer supermarket wines under £5 & £10
Favourite British seasonal food in July
We’ve been having lots of salads with home grown baby leaves, pea shoots and radishes, and making meals more interesting with fresh basil, mint, coriander and newly sprouted thyme leaves.
The unsettled weather this year means we’re still waiting for the cherry tree to give us some cherries, but there’s plenty of rhubarb and wild strawberries to keep us going.
Recommended seasonal inspiration books
Has anything caught your eye on this list of best UK seasonal foods in July? Any old favourites or interesting new things that you want to try?
