British seasonal food in May
Welcome to the comprehensive guide to the best British seasonal food in May. Food production is often just getting started this month as the weather starts to warm up a little more. Many overwintered crops are finishing around now, but those much-awaited new roots, shoots and fruits are starting to come though too.
Looking for a seasonal treat? The first few UK strawberries are ready to pick, especially if they’ve been grown in greenhouses in the southern counties, and there are some tasty baby vegetables to cook up. Look out for delicious Jersey Royal new potatoes too.
Here’s what’s at its absolute best over the next few weeks. Enjoy.
Fruit in season in May

There’s a relatively small selection, but it’s all delicious:
Home grown British fruit
- strawberries (first few)
- rhubarb
Best imported seasonal fruit
- Alphonso mangoes
- pineapples
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 May

There’s plenty for you to choose from in May:
- asparagus
- baby broad beans
- baby carrots
- broccoli (calabrese)
- garlic (new season, wet)
- globe artichokes
- Jersey Royal potatoes
- lettuce and other salad
- new potatoes
- radishes
- seakale
- spinach
- spring greens and spring cabbage
- spring onions
- baby turnips
- watercress
You may also be able to find some very early season peas from plants that have been started off under cover.
[Available most months in good condition: broccoli, 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 May
- basil
- chervil
- chives
- coriander
- lovage
- mint
- oregano
- parsley
- rosemary
- sage
- sorrel
- summer savory
- tarragon
- thyme
[Always available: chives, coriander, parsley grown under cover; older leaves of hardy perennials like bay, rosemary, sage, thyme.]
Wild / foraged food in May

- elderflowers
- morel mushrooms
- St. George’s mushrooms
- samphire (rock)
- wild garlic
[Take great care when foraging as it’s very 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 May

Seasonal fish varies greatly around the UK, and weather fluctuations are also likely to affect spawning and peak seasons, but here’s a rough guide to what’s at its best and on sale now.
British Fish in May, sustainable
- coley / saithe
- crab (brown / edible)
- flounder
- herring / sild
- lobster (European)
- plaice
- pollock
- pouting / bib
- prawns (Northern)
- rainbow trout
[To the best of my knowledge, the list above excludes critically endangered fish. Visit The Good Fish Guide from the Marine Conservation Society for latest lists.]
Fish in season in May, less sustainable
You may also be able to find the following fish and seafood from responsible fishmongers:
- brown shrimp,
- langoustine / scampi / Dublin Bay prawn
- wild salmon
[In good condition almost all year: farmed clams, farmed halibut, herring, farmed sea bream and turbot, megrim sole, sustainably-fished monkfish, rope-grown mussels, prawns.]
Recommended fish & shellfish inspiration:

- Fish & Shellfish: The Definitive Guide – Rick Stein
- Fish for Dinner: Delicious Seafood Recipes – Nathan Outlaw
- The Seafood Shack – Kirsty Scobie & Fenella Renwick
- Fish – Sophie Grigson & William Black
Meat, poultry and game in season in May

- new season lamb
- poussin / spring chicken
[Always available in good condition: beef, chicken, pork, rabbit, farmed venison, wood pigeon.]
Recommended meat, poultry & 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 May

British-made cheese
- English soft cheeses
- ewe’s milk cheeses
- fresh goat cheeses
- Stinking Bishop
Imported cheese in May
- Camembert
- Coulommiers
[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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What we’re eating here
It’s starting to look more delicious as we hopefully start to move out of the hungry gap. I’m going to pick up a bag of Jersey Royals soon to have with our Sunday dinner, and think about taking a few stalks of rhubarb from the garden to make a crumble for dessert.
What are you looking forward to cooking up this month?
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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