From seasonal vegetables to game and fruit, read our monthly market report to decide what to put on your menus this July
What is Samphire good for?
Samphire is known to have a distinctive crisp and salty taste and works well with a variety of different foods, in particular pasta and seafood.
Like asparagus, it can be eaten raw, but is delicious when steamed and served with butter. When preparing samphire, make sure to rinse it thoroughly to remove any grit or excess salt.
Though small broad beans are perfectly acceptable with the skin on, their delicate flavour and texture will sing if you remove it, and while they are delicious whole, they make for a light puree to accompany lamb or beef dishes.
Check out Matt Abé's Dexter beef short rib, young peas, broad beans, smoked bone marrow in this video:
What is the best use for gooseberries?
This underrated berry is a species of Ribes native to Europe, the Caucasus and northern Africa. The species is also sparingly naturalised in scattered locations in North America. Often a little tart, it has fallen out of favour in recent years, as consumers favour other, less acidic fruit like raspberries and blackcurrants.
Kenny Atkinson pairs gooseberries with fish in his mackerel, gooseberries, lemon and mustard dish. Check it out here.
Meanwhile Paul Carroll uses gooseberries in a savoury dish of air dried beef, pickled black bread, gooseberries, carrots. Here's his recipe.
Mackerel, gooseberries, lemon and mustard
How to cook Dover sole
Dover sole - sometimes known as the king of soles -has a crisp white flesh, firm to the touch, and an almost sweet taste.
The long flatfish has a small head, light-brown skin and a creamy underside and is traditionally skinned on the darker side only, leaving the white skin of the underside in place. The skin separates easily from the flesh and the flesh falls easily from the bone.
Try Claire Smyth's Dover Sole, lovage, shellfish, sea vegetable minestrone recipe here, or Adam Byatt's Dover Sole baked in dashi butter, white beetroot and caviar by following this link.
The red succulent cherry is a definite yes in July. Eat the sweeter ones as they are or cover them in cream and mix them with berries, or adorn a cake with them. The more bitter cherries will go perfectly in tarts or other baked delights.
The beetroot season begins in July and runs through the winter until about January. This wonderfully purple and earthy root vegetable which is packed with antioxidants can be baked, roasted, boiled, made into soup or eaten raw.
Rabbit meat might be harder to come by in the supermarkets but in July, local butchers will undoubtedly sell it. The meat can be used in the kitchen much like chicken and is more common in Morocco in tagine dishes.
2 Michelin-starred chef Phil Howard creates hand cut strozzapreti with pulled rabbit, check out the video below:
Lincolnshire Rabbit saddle, English asparagus, peas, morels, wild garlic
How can I use courgette in a dish?
Fresh, homegrown courgettes are an ideal accompaniment to any summer dish, but this delicately flavoured vegetable is actually pretty versatile and can be incorporated into the likes of soup, risottos, pasta, salads, pizzas, stir fry's as well as into bread and cakes too. Alternatively, simply serve it alongside a great piece of fish or meat.
We highly recommend you try Alex Povall's cornish Pollock served with courgette, fennel, hazelnut ragout and courgette basil purée. Here's the recipe.
Another hit is thisrecipe for Mi-Cuit Norwegian fjord trout, grilled courgettes and sauce vierge by Daniel Galmiche.
Is trout a good eating fish?
Trout is a member of the Salmonidae family, related closely to salmon and char.
Trout is an excellent option of fish, with a wide variety of health benefits including high omega 3 fatty acid content and low levels of mercury.
Are you using any of these seasonal ingredients in your menus? Upload your pics and recipes to our Chef+ mobile app!
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