July is a great time for seasonal UK produce.
Summer fruits like strawberries, raspberries and tomatoes are at their full, flavourful best; we have salad leaves in abundance; and our windowsill herb gardens are overflowing with aromatics to add to every dish.
SO WHAT’S IN SEASON IN THE UK IN JULY?
According to Eat The Seasons, it’s time to head to your local farmers’ market to look for UK grown artichoke, aubergine, beetroot, broad beans, broccoli, carrots, chillies, courgettes, fennel, french beans, garlic, jersey royal new potatoes, kohlrabi, lettuce & salad leaves, mangetout, new potatoes, onions, pak choi, peas, radishes, rocket, runner beans, samphire, spinach, spring onions, tomatoes, turnips, watercress, and wild nettles.Basil, chervil, chives, coriander, dill, elderflowers, oregano, mint, nasturtium, parsley, rosemary, sage, sorrel, tarragon, and thyme are all in plentiful supply too; if your herb patch is anything like mine, it’s probably looking a little out of control by now!
It’s also peak season for lamb, rabbit, wood pigeon, cod, coley, crab, dover sole, haddock, halibut, herring, langoustine, mackerel, plaice, pollack, prawns, salmon, sardines, sea bream, sea trout, shrimp, squid, whelks, and whitebait.
On the fruit front, you’ll find a plentiful supply of apricots, bilberries, blueberries, cherries, gooseberries, greengages, raspberries, strawberries and juicy peaches (which I love in a salad, like the one below).
FIVE SEASONAL RECIPES TO TRY THIS MONTH
Make the most of June’s produce with some of these simple, seasonal recipes.
- My Courgette & Goats Cheese Bruschetta
- Matt Appleby’s Smoked Mackerel Pate
- BBC Good Food’s Aubergine Curry with Lamb Cutlets
- Olive Magazine’s Strawberries & Cream Ice Lollies
- Anna Jones’ Tomatoes on Toast with Chilli & Fennel (pictured below)
