This Month

Think of a British fruit - think of an apple. It's almost a national emblem. It even has a day in its honour - Apple Day on 21st October.

As marked by festivities nationwide, this year's apple season has now begun. The varieties of apple available - there are over 2,500 - will change but the season will last until well into winter.

Varieties now available include Discovery, Katy and Worcester Pearmain. The 'Beaujolais Neaveau' of the apple world, these early varieties won't be around for long so look out for them in farmshops, farmers markets and pick your owns whilst you can.

Try them in tarte tatin or roasted alongside meats - or in the traditional crumbles and pies. They will hold their shape better than traditional cooking apples and need less sugar, too.

Try...
Brogdale National Fruit Collection for the largest range of apple varieties ... Lathcoats Farm for PYO apples ... The Apple & Pear People ... Polgoon's sparkling cider ... Somerset Cider Brandy's apple brandy

Cook...
Sheppy's Cider Apple Cake ... Rack of Pork with Cider & Apple Butter ... Braised Red Cabbage with Apple ... Apple & Quince Souffle ... Baked Apples ... Cider Syllabub with Apple Crisps ... Caramel Apple Pavlova ... Apple & Plum Relish... Apple Bread ... Wassail Cup ... Apple Sauce ... Apple & Walnut Tart ... Sloe & Crab Apple Jelly ... Tarte Tatin
browse our recipe library for more apple recipes >>

Browse...
Apple Events around the UK ... Brocks Hill Apple Day... Cider Making Festival... Waterperry Apple Day... The Big Apple... Apple Affair...

Find cider producers near you ... Find apple PYOs near you ... Read about Apple Day

Green Goose

Michaelmas is coming and the goose is getting fat...

Michaelmas day - September 29th - falls just after the autumn equinox when nights start to be longer than days and is marked in honour of St. Michael, historic protector against the forces of darkness.

The point at which the goose came into all this is unclear but it's now become the day's main feature. Michaelmas is an opportunity to enjoy 'Green goose' which is younger, leaner and more tender than the better known 'Christmas goose'.

Enjoy green goose roasted and served simply with seasonal vegetables or served either hot or cold with some punchy salad leaves.

Try...
Goodman's Geese for both 'green' and 'Christmas' geese

Cook...
Roast Goose

Browse...
Read about Michaelmas ... How to Roast Goose
Goose Fairs countrywide ... Tavistock Goose Fair ... Nottingham Goose Fair...

Stone Fruit

September is a plum month for stone fruit. As summer ends and autumn draws in, the fruits have finally accumulated enough sunshine and are ripe for picking.

British peaches, nectarines and apricots are on the rise - one of the few perks of global warming - but ripen later than their Mediterranean cousins due to our somewhat unreliable weather.

Plums are more traditional and still the safer bet; they come in more than enough guises to satisfy demand. Try purple favourite Victoria, Golden Drop or the late-ripening Marjorie's Seedling. Alternatively, head for the hedgerows and forage your own damsons, gages and tiny bullaces for a flavour which can't be bettered.

Try a mix of stone fruit stewed with warm spices such as cinnamon and ginger, or robust herbs such as rosemary and thyme. Wrap them in foil and throw them on a late summer barbecue or use in crumbles, pies, chutneys and jams.

Try...
Stonham Hedgerow's fruity jams & preserves ... Coleshill Organics for fresh fruits ... Cowmire Hall's damson gin ... Strattas's fruit vinegars ... Rookbeare Farm's apricot sorbet

Cook...
Plum Crumble with Cinnamon Custard ... Peach & Cherry Trifle ... Roasted Fruits ... Apple, Plum & Onion Relish

Browse...
Learn about Foraging your own ... Find plum festivals near you ... Find PYOs near you

Shellfish

The end of summer isn't usually something to celebrate but the fact that there's once again an 'r' in the month means that shellfish is back on the menu. And celebrate Britain does. All around the coast, September is filled with events in honour of the so-called jewels of the sea.

From September through to April, molluscs and bivalves are at their most plentiful, and sustainable having finished breeding for the year. The autumn is also when they are bursting with flavour.

Given the state of our sea, it's pleasing to know that British shellfish isn't doing too badly. The Marine Conservation Society rates UK shellfish highly for sustainability with brown crab, clams, cockles, oysters and scallops riding the top wave. The important thing is that they're hand-dived or pot-caught and never dredged.

Try blue lip or common mussels from the cleaner waters of Scotland or Ireland but avoid green-lip mussels which will have been imported from more tropical climes.
Like-wise go for native oysters which are at their plumpest best during the colder autumn months.

Look out too for ethically farmed species. As well as being sustainable, their easy harvesting means they're often cheaper too - so you won't have to shell out so much for your shells...

Try...
Shellfish delivered from Fish In A Box and The Fish Society ... Oysters from Wright Brothers and Rossmore Oysters ... Responsibly farmed Exmouth Mussels ... Everything from the sea from Borough Market's Furness Fish ... Learn how to cook shellfish at Billingsgate Seafood Training School

Cook...
Oysters with Beurre Blanc and Spinach ... Oysters Rockefeller ... Scallops Grilled in the Shell ... Scallops and Leeks in Champagne Sauce ... Shellfish Broth ... Spicy Mussel Soup ... Crab Bread and Butter Pudding ... Tagliatelle with Crab ... Mussels with Leeks and Cider ... Seafood Stew ... Seafood Linguine
browse our recipe library for more seafood recipes >>

Browse...
How to Barbeque with shellfish ... Find fishmongers near you ... Mitch Tonks' Fish book ... Hugh Fearnley-Wittingstall's The River Cottage Fish Book ... Seafood festivals and events near you

Cobnuts

The cobnut is a cultivated variety of hazelnut. The name may come from a game which children used to play with the unshelled nuts - 'cobblenut'. The winning nut in this early version of conkers was named 'the cob'.

Now that horse chestnuts have taken on the gaming role, cobnuts can be put to much better use - on the plate rather than on the string. The start of the season is traditionally St Philibert's Day on 22 August - try them 'green' when they're moist with a distinctive coconut taste or allow them to mature longer on the tree and turn golden when they'll have a much sweeter flavour.

Whilst the early crops are something to savour, later season offerings are ideal for cooking with. Try them roasted and tossed over salads, once you've rubbed off the skins, dipped into chocolate or ground into tarator - use them anywhere you would hazelnuts.

Try...
Blackmoor Estate or Brogdale for fresh cobnuts and the trees to grow your own

Cook...
Baked Eggs, Ham and Hazelnuts ... Fruit and Nut Biscotti ... Hazelnut Buttered Lamb Chops

Browse...
Read Foraging - Uncover The Wild for information on gathering your own

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