British seasonal food in October

Here’s the latest comprehensive guide to the best British seasonal food in October. The leaves are turning red, yellow and brown, the nights are drawing in, and the temperature’s starting to cool. There are so many hearty seasonal foods to try this month.

October’s star ingredients mean it’s time for comfort food when it’s cold and rainy, lending themselves to soups, stews, pies, crumbles, baked fruits and any main course served with mashed potato and gravy.

Here’s what’s in peak condition at the market, on your allotment, in your delivery box or on the supermarket shelves this month.

Fruit in season in October

Home-grown British fruit

  • apples
  • blackberries
  • figs
  • grapes
  • pears
  • plums
  • quinces
  • raspberries

Best imported seasonal fruit

  • figs
  • grapes

Nuts in season in October

  • cobnuts and hazelnuts
  • sweet chestnuts
  • walnuts

Recommended seasonal fruit inspiration:

Seasonal fruit inspiration book recommendations

Vegetables in season in October

  • aubergine
  • autumn cabbage (green, red)
  • broccoli (calabrese, autumn sprouting)
  • brussels sprouts
  • cardoons
  • celeriac
  • celery
  • chard
  • chicory
  • chillies
  • courgettes
  • cucumber
  • endive
  • fennel (Florence)
  • Jerusalem artichoke
  • kale
  • kohlrabi
  • lettuce
  • leeks
  • marrow
  • pak choi
  • parsnips
  • peppers
  • pumpkins and winter squashes
  • radishes (summer, winter)
  • salsify
  • scorzonera
  • spinach
  • spring onions
  • swedes
  • sweetcorn
  • sweet peppers
  • turnips
  • tomatoes
  • watercress

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

Recommended seasonal veg inspiration:

Herbs in season in October

  • chervil
  • chives
  • coriander
  • dill
  • fennel
  • lovage
  • marjoram
  • mint
  • oregano
  • parsley
  • rosemary
  • sage
  • sorrel
  • summer savory
  • 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 October

  • bullaces
  • crabapples
  • damsons
  • elderberries
  • samphire (rock)
  • sloes
  • wild mushrooms (ceps/penny bun, chanterelles, field, horn of plenty/black trumpets/trompettes, puffball, truffle and many 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 October

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

Sustainable types of fish & shellfish

  • brill
  • clams
  • cockles
  • coley / saithe
  • crab (spider)
  • dab
  • flounder
  • gurnard (grey, red)
  • haddock
  • hake
  • herring / sild
  • langoustine / scampi
  • lobster
  • mackerel
  • monkfish
  • mussels
  • oysters (native)
  • plaice
  • pollock
  • pouting / bib
  • prawns
  • sardines / European pilchard
  • scallops
  • sole (common / Dover, lemon, witch / Torbay)
  • sprat / whitebait
  • trout
  • wild turbot

[To the best of my knowledge the list above excludes critically endangered fish, but this information is subject to change. Visit The Good Fish Guide from the Marine Conservation Society to check their latest lists.]

Fish in season, less sustainable

Some of the fish in the ‘less sustainable’ list below are fished responsibly in certain areas of the UK, so you may still be able to source them from a reliable fishmonger.

  • Atlantic cod
  • john dory
  • red mullet
  • squid
  • whiting
  • wild seabass
  • wild seabream
  • wild sea trout
  • whelks
  • winkles

[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 October

  • capercaillie
  • goose
  • grouse (black, red)
  • guinea fowl
  • hare
  • lamb (hogget, late season)
  • mallard
  • ptarmigan
  • snipe (common)
  • teal
  • partridge (grey, red-legged)
  • pheasant
  • venison (fallow buck, red stag, roe buck, sika stag)
  • wigeon
  • wild duck
  • woodcock

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

Recommended seasonal meat, poultry & game inspiration:

Cheese in season in October

UK-made cheeses

  • Ash Rosary goat cheese
  • Caerphilly
  • shorter-matured blue cheeses such as Dorset Blue Vinny or Pevensey Blue
  • Pennard Ridge red cheese
  • Wensleydale
  • vintage cheddars

Imported seasonal cheese

  • Brillat Savarin
  • Saint-Nectaire
  • first Vacherin

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

Recommended seasonal cheese & wine inspiration:

Enjoyed this guide? You may also like:

UK October seasonal ingredients we love

This week’s treats here at Golightly Gardens have included some roasted butternut squash with sage, mushrooms and potato gnocchi, and a delicious batch of spiced poached pears. The pears were served hot with custard, and the leftover ones were enjoyed cold for breakfast.

Have any of the ingredients from British seasonal food in October list caught your eye?

What’s your favourite recipe for this time of year? Let us know in the comments below.

Recommended general seasonal inspiration:

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.

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *