British seasonal food in November

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Welcome to our comprehensive guide to all the best British seasonal food in November, including fruit, veg, foraged ingredients, fish, shellfish, meat and cheeses.

Here’s what to buy at the market, look out for in your delivery box or pick from the allotment this month.

Fruit in season in November

British seasonal fruits and nuts November — Clockwise from top left: quinces, mixed nuts, pomegranate, clementines

British-grown fruit

apples
cranberries
medlars
pears
quinces

Best imported seasonal fruit

clementines
dates
‘easy peelers’ citrus (satsumas, tangerines etc)
pomegranates

Nuts in season in November

almonds
hazelnuts (from store)
sweet chestnuts
walnuts

Recommended seasonal fruit inspiration:

Seasonal fruit inspiration book recommendations

Vegetables in season in November

British-seasonal-vegetables-November — Clockwise from top left: Savoy cabbage, turnips, kohlrabi, Jerusalem artichokes

beetroot (stored)
broccoli (sprouting)
Brussels sprouts and tops
cabbage (Savoy, red)
cardoons
celeriac
celery
chard
chicory
endive
horseradish
Jerusalem artichoke
kale
kohlrabi
leeks
pak choi and other oriental greens
parsnips
pumpkins and winter squashes (from store)
salsify
scorzonera
spinach
swedes
turnips
winter radish
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 November

fennel
marjoram
mint
parsley
sage
thyme
winter savory

Wild / foraged food in season in November

British-seasonal-foraged-food-November — Left to right: sloes, penny bun mushroom

It’s well and truly wild mushroom season. The other highlight is sloes for flavouring jams, gins and liqueurs.

sloes
wild mushrooms (ceps / penny bun / porcini, chanterelles, field, horn of plenty / black trumpets / trompettes, puffball, truffle and more)

[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 November

British-seasonal-fish-and-seafood-November — Clockwise from top left: mussels, pollock, spider crab, plaice

Seasonal fish varies greatly in different areas around the UK, and from year to year, changing in response to sea temperature, conservation or overfishing, and breeding cycles. Here’s a rough guide to what’s on sale now that’s considered to be more sustainable.

Sustainable British fish

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

[To the best of my knowledge, the list above is up to date and excludes the latest lists of critically endangered fish, but the information can change at short notice. Visit The Good Fish Guide from the Marine Conservation Society for latest lists.]

Less sustainable UK fish

Atlantic cod
langoustine / scampi
seabream
squid
whelks
whiting

Some of the fish in the list above can be sourced sustainably from a good fishmonger, depending on the area and fishing methods used.

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

Recommended seasonal fish & shellfish inspiration:

Meat, poultry and game in season in November

British-seasonal-meat-poultry-and-game-November — Clockwise from top left: wild goose, roe deer, pheasant, guinea fowl

capercaillie
duck (wild)
goose (including wild geese)
grouse (red and black)
guinea fowl
hare, mallard, partridge
pheasant
ptarmigan
snipe
teal
venison (fallow deer, red deer, roe deer doe, sika deer)
wigeon
woodcock

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

Recommended seasonal meat, game & poultry inspiration:

Cheese in season in November

Clockwise from top left: Cashel Blue, mature Lincolnshire Poacher, mature Gruyère, mixed Alpine cheese fondue

UK-made cheeses

Cashel Blue and other shorter matured blue cheeses
Ribblesdale and other mature goat cheese
Wigmore (semi-hard sheep’s cheese)
vintage Lincolnshire Poacher
vintage farmhouse cheddars

Imported November cheese

Alpine mountain cheeses such as mature Gruyère, mature Comté and raclette
Vacherin Mont d’Or

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

Recommended seasonal cheese & wine inspiration:

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Favourite UK November seasonal foods

The other night we had a mushroom risotto with greens on the side for a comforting and easy dinner, and I’m looking forward to making a slow-cooked stew with lots of root vegetables later in the week. I quite fancy a few satsumas for snacking on too, for that taste of sunshine and an easy peel, so I’ll add some to my shopping list.

Do you have any favourite November British seasonal ingredients to add to your shopping list? What will you be cooking and eating this month?

Recommended general seasonal inspiration:

British seasonal food in November