British seasonal food in September
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There’s a huge range of British seasonal food in September, from the late-ripening summer crops that need extra sunshine to the newer autumn season produce, including fragrant autumn raspberries, the first crisp apples, and a glut of vegetables.
You can also find a variety of fish that are now out of their spawning period, shellfish from cooler coastal waters, most game, and the first tangy cheeses. Tasty imports from are available from warmer climes too.
Here’s what to buy at the market, or pick from your kitchen garden or allotment in Britain this month.
Fruit in season in September
- apples
- blackberries
- blueberries
- damsons
- figs
- grapes
- greengages
- loganberries
- melons
- peaches
- pears
- plums
- raspberries
- tayberries
Best imported seasonal fruit
- apricots
- peaches
- pineapples (Caribbean)
- melon (Charentais, cantaloupe, galia)
- nectarines
Nuts in season in September
- cobnuts and hazelnuts
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 September
- aubergines
- autumn cabbage (green, red)
- beetroot
- broccoli (calabrese, autumn sprouting)
- brussels sprouts
- cardoon
- celeriac
- celery
- chillies
- chicory
- courgettes
- cucumbers
- endive
- fennel
- globe artichokes
- green beans (French, runner)
- kohlrabi
- lettuce and other salad leaves
- leeks
- marrows
- okra
- pak choi
- parsnips
- peppers
- pumpkins and winter squashes
- radishes (summer, winter)
- spinach
- spring onions
- swedes
- sweetcorn
- summer squash
- 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 September
- 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.]
Wild / foraged food in season in September
- bilberries / blaeberries
- crabapples
- elderberries
- rosehips
- samphire (rock)
- sloes
- wild damsons
- wild mushrooms (ceps/penny bun, chanterelles, field, puffball, truffle)
[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 September
Seasonal fish availability and sustainability varies greatly from year to year and in different areas around the UK, plus it’s being affected by climate change and conservation measures, but here’s a rough guide to what’s on sale now in the sustainable category.
Sustainable British fish
- brill
- cockles
- coley / saithe
- spider crab
- dab
- flounder
- gurnard (grey)
- haddock
- hake
- herring / sild
- mackerel
- monkfish
- mussels
- oysters
- plaice
- pollock
- pouting / bib
- Dover / common sole
- lemon sole
- lobster
- sardine / European pilchard
- sprat / whitebait
- wild turbot
- witch / Torbay sole
[To the best of my knowledge the list above excludes critically endangered fish, but it never hurts to double check as the situation is constantly changing. Visit The Good Fish Guide from the Marine Conservation Society for their latest lists.]
Fish in season, less sustainable
Many of these types of fish and seafood can still be sourced from a responsible fishmonger:
- crayfish
- eel
- gilthead bream (wild)
- halibut (wild)
- john dory
- langoustine / scampi
- razor clams
- red mullet
- seabass (wild)
- seabream (wild)
- sea trout
- squid
- whelks
- whiting
- wild salmon
[In good condition almost all year: farmed rainbow trout, farmed salmon, farmed sea bream, farmed 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 & game in season in September
- grouse
- guinea fowl
- hare
- lamb
- partridge
- pheasant
- ptarmigan
- snipe
- venison
- wild duck
- wild geese
- woodcock
[Always available in good condition: beef, chicken, pork, rabbit, turkey, 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 September
British seasonal cheeses
- Double Gloucester
- farmhouse Cheshire
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
Enjoyed this guide? You may also like:
- British seasonal food in August
- British seasonal food in October
- Grow your own fruit & veg on a budget
Favourite British seasonal food in September
After a long hot summer we’ve arrived at the very start of autumn. We’re still picking plenty of tomatoes and fresh herbs here, and I’m looking forward to enjoying some peaches and blackberries.
Do you have personal favourites to add to your shopping list this month? Let us know in the comments below.
Recommended general seasonal inspiration:
