Top Ten Spring Foods

If you want to eat fresh, eat seasonally. Now that spring has definitely sprung, here’s what should be on your plate right now…

10 - Spinach

Remember when your mum told you to eat your greens? She was speaking sense. Spinach is a true superfood, being packed with vitamins & nutrients that help deter cancers and strokes. What’s more, as well as being tasty raw or cooked, it also strengthens your bones - turns out Popeye knew his greens!

9 - Spring Onions

The clue’s in the name - April is definitely the time to find the youngest and most tender spring onions. Small and thin are best, and choose onions with straight leaves and white bulbs. Combine them with ginger to form the soul of many South-East Asian dishes.

8 - Crab

In season from April to November, female crabs have sweeter meat than males. For a simple dish, boil your crab and serve it with mayo. Or you could go Chinese and serve it with ginger, garlic and noodles - delicious.

7 - Broccoli

Purple Sprouting Broccoli is bang in season right about now, and is great served with anchovies, or simply steamed or boiled. Whatever the type of broccoli though, be sure not to overcook it so it retains its bite and vibrant colour.

6 - Leeks

Grab the last in-season leeks while you can, and sauté them for a deliciously creamy base to a soup, or mix them with potatoes and cheese for a satisfying supper. Leeks are also the unsung heroes of chicken or fish pie. 

5 - Parsley, Chives, Oregano

Springtime is a fresh herb bonanza, and there’s nothing better than cooking with them or using herbs to pep up a salad. Pair chives with cheese or fish, oregano with pizza or pasta and parsley with just about anything!

4 - Lamb

Imported lamb is available all year round, but fresh British lamb is the ultimate Spring dish. Roast it with garlic and herbs (rosemary and mint are good), but also consider pairing it with the likes of apricots or prunes, pomegranate or anchovies.

3 - Rocket

With its peppery bite and aesthetically pleasing leaves, rocket packs a flavour punch that’s hard to beat. Use it to great effect in salads and sandwiches, as well as on top of pizzas or as a punked-up side dish. Watercress, that other peppery powerhouse, is also in season.

2 - Wild Garlic

Wild garlic season is short-lived (March-May), so snap up this beauty while you can! Snip its leaves into omelettes, use it in salad dressings, whizz it up with pine nuts, olive oil and basil for a punchy pesto or make a wild garlic soup. Gorgeous!

1 - Sea Bass

April sees the start of the prime season for sea bass, which runs through the summer months. Our advice? Get the best quality fish possible and cook it simply with salt and lemon. Here’s a recipe from our Fantastic Fish course:

Ingredients

• 2 small bass fillets
• Lemon
• Salt & pepper

Method

1. Fillet the sea bass fillets and check for bones.
2. Season the fillet with sea salt.
3. Heat a frying pan with a little clarified butter until hot.
4. Place the fillet into the pan and cook over a high heat until golden (approx 1 minute).
5. Turn the fillet over, place a knob of butter into the pan, squeeze lemon juice allowing the pan to sizzle.
6. Remove the fillet/s from the pan and place onto kitchen paper.

Our Fantastic Fish course runs on April 30th, May 10th & 17th.

For all our cookery courses and masterclasses, check out our Classes & Events here!