What's in Season

February

February is a month that needs a bit of cheering up so I recommend lots of bright, voluptuous squash in your diet. Squash come in so many different varieties and are wonderfully versatile and comforting, sweet, vividly bright on the plate at this dark time of year. Roast them, stew them, curry them. Match with feta cheese, chili and even pasta.

The other way to cheer up Feb is to add a bit of exoticism into your diet. If you eat seasonally and locally 90% of the time you can justify the odd passion fruit or Spanish tomato, the idea is to live in harmony, not a hair shirt...

Passion fruits are gorgeous simply scooped out over ice cream or frozen yogurt, either fruity or plain vanilla. Look out for fragrant, wrinkly ones, they are the ripe ones.

Veg

Artichokes (Jerusalem) - Brussels sprouts & tops - Cabbages (white and various green) - Celeriac - Chard - Endive - Fennel - Greens (spring and winter) - Kale - Kohlrabi - Leeks - Lettuce (greenhouse) - Onions - Parsnip - Potatoes - (main crop) - Shallots - Squash - Swede - Turnip

Fruit

Bananas - Blood oranges - Kiwi fruit - Lemons - Oranges - Passion fruit - Pineapple - Pomegranate - Rhubarb (forced)

Meat

Guinea fowl - Hare - Wild Rabbit - Venison

Fish & Seafood

Brill - Clams - Cockles - Crab (brown & spider) - Cuttlefish - Haddock - Hake - Halibut - John Dory - Lobster - Mackerel - Mullet (red) - Mussels - Oyster (rock) - Prawn (cold-water) - Salmon (atlantic) - Sardine - Scallops - Seabream - Seabass - Sole (dover and lemon) - Turbot - Whiting

Also

Farmhouse Cheddar

Recipes

Squash and Tomato Curry with Lime and Coconut - Fish Pie - Pitney Iced Gingerbread Slices