Spring is a time for sowing rather than harvesting, but some ingredients reach their peak just now. Beautiful morel mushrooms and forced rhubarb vie with imported new potatoes and Spanish strawberries. A challenge to eat locally, but not impossible!
Fruit and Vegetables
Scottish rhubarb growing nicely
Chicory, carrots, rhubarb, jerusalem artichokes, fennel, potatoes from store (Red Duke of York, King Edwards, Arran Victory), purple sprouting broccoli, spinach, spring greens. Look out for wild garlic whilst out walking!
Suggested recipes:
Stevie Parle is the Saturday Daily Telegraph’s new resident cook. It’s worth buying the paper alone for his recipes. Check out his recipes for fennel and rhubarb. Check that the forced rhubarb is actually British. You’ll have to wait a little longer for the Scottish outdoor varieties.
Fresh carrots everytime
Meat and Fish
There are some glorious king scallops available at the moment, look out for skate, eel, mackerel, monk fish, farmed barramundi, langoustines and lobster
You might have come across barramundi if you’ve visited Australia. It is now being farmed here in the UK. It’s similar to sea bass, but even tastier in my mind! We found ours at Eddie’s seafood market, Edinburgh, our very favourite place for fish.
Poultry, duck, mutton, hogget (lamb over a year old), hare and rabbit.
Nigel Slater’s recipe for lamb works equally well with mutton.
Imported produce
Some lovely oranges are available, including if you’re lucky blood oranges and navels and strawberries from Spain, new potatoes from Majorca, lemons and limes.
I just have to recommend our lemon curd recipe and orange almond cake recipes again.
Luscious Limes
