November seasonal update
November is the month the kitchen turns towards winter.
The open season for female deer starts on November 1 in England and Wales, putting more venison on the market, and pheasant, partridge, wild duck, hare and woodcock are all in good supply.
Brussels sprouts sweeten after the first frosts, squash and roots are at their most plentiful, and apples, pears and the often overlooked medlar give the dessert menu a fragrant, old-fashioned edge.
Cod, hake, turbot and monkfish are all in fine condition as the water cools, and chestnuts start to appear in everything from stuffings to soups.
With Diwali falling on Sunday, November 8 and festive menus already being written, it is a month for warming spice, slow cooking and getting ahead on the preserving.
We have collaborated with three exceptional chefs to bring you fresh seasonal ideas and recipes as inspiration for your menus this month, alongside a selection of relevant recipes and videos from The Staff Canteen archive.
Special thanks this month to Ajay Kumar (Swadish), Achal Aggarwal (Foxhills) and Jason Wright (Lost Shore Surf Resort), for their recipe contributions, and we also have some other recipes and videos from the archives to share again.
Hero Produce – November 2026
- Venison – The female deer season opens on November 1 in England and Wales, making this one of the best months of the year to put venison on the menu.
- Woodcock – Scarce, prized and full of flavour, with migrating birds arriving from the continent through the month.
- Monkfish – Firm, meaty and robust enough to take on bold spice, as Jason Wright's Goan curry shows.
- Turbot – Still in excellent condition, and a natural match for coconut, curry leaf and citrus.
- Brussels sprouts – Sweeter after a frost, and far better shaved raw, roasted hard or charred than boiled.
- Medlars – An old English fruit that needs bletting until soft, then rewards with a rich, spiced apple flavour.
- Chestnuts – Sweet and starchy, and just as useful in a stuffing or soup as in a dessert.
Game in November
In season: venison, pheasant, partridge, grouse, woodcock, mallard and wild duck, hare, rabbit, pigeon.
November is the heart of the game season.
With the female deer season opening on November 1 in England and Wales, red, fallow and sika hinds and does join the stags already in season, and venison supply picks up just as diners start looking for richer, more warming dishes.
Pheasant is plentiful and good value, partridge continues to be a reliable crowd pleaser, and wild duck is in fine condition.
Woodcock numbers build through the month as migrating birds arrive from Scandinavia and the Baltic, a rare treat for chefs who can get hold of them, and hare is at its best for jugging, braising and rich ragùs.
From the archive: Ivan Tisdall-Downes salt-aged Creedy Carver duck recipe at Native in Herefordshire
Self-taught chef Ivan shows how Native makes the most of a whole bird, salt-ageing Creedy Carver duck and serving it with beetroot cooked in a flaming barrel, marigold vinegar and the duck heart, finished with garnishes from the restaurant's garden.
Diwali on the Menu
Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights, falls on Sunday, November 8 this year, and it is one of the busiest weeks of the year for Indian kitchens across the UK.
For chefs, it is a chance to cook the celebratory, shared and richly spiced dishes that families gather around at home, from street food chaat and sweet mithai to slow-cooked royal centrepieces.
At Lomri, the Anglo-Indian restaurant at Foxhills Club & Resort in Surrey, head chef Achal Aggarwal is marking the festival with a dedicated Diwali menu running from November 2 to 8.
He said: "All the dishes have bold flavours and bright colours, and most of them are on a sharing basis, because the festival is about colour and sharing meals together."
A royal dish from Lucknow, Achal's musallam sees poussin deboned, stuffed with spiced minced chicken, raisins and coriander, marinated in yoghurt and roasted. It is served on a silky korma sauce made with melon and poppy seeds, scented with kewra water and rose, and finished with gold leaf and rose petals, a showstopping centrepiece for a Diwali menu.
UK Seafood in November
In season: cod, hake, turbot, monkfish, brill, gurnard, native oysters, mussels, scallops.
Cooler water means white fish is in excellent condition this month.
Cod and hake are reliable, versatile choices for the winter menu, while monkfish and turbot are firm and meaty enough to stand up to big flavours, from red wine and roasting juices to coconut and warm spice.
Native oysters, mussels and scallops are all well into their season and at their best.
Recipes:
- Goan monkfish curry, by Jason Wright, head of food and beverage at Lost Shore Surf Resort, Edinburgh
A dish Jason first learned as a young chef under his former boss Roy Brett, this fragrant Goan-style curry starts with a toasted whole spice paste, cooked out with coconut cream and mango chutney.
A turmeric-dusted monkfish tail is seared until golden, then basted in the sauce until just firm, and finished with fresh coriander and served with popadoms or puri. [Image: pull dish photo from recipe page.
Ajay takes the coastal fish cooking of Kerala and lets Scottish turbot lead.
Pan-roasted turbot is basted with curry leaves and butter, then served on a light coconut and curry-leaf sauce finished with raw green mango and lime, with a sharp raw mango pickle, charred baby leeks and a few drops of curry-leaf oil.
Seasonal Fruit & Vegetables
Brussels sprouts, kale, cavolo nero, savoy cabbage, leeks, celeriac, parsnips, swede, Jerusalem artichokes, beetroot, squash and pumpkin lead November's vegetables, while apples, pears, quince and medlars take over the fruit bowl, with chestnuts and cranberries arriving ahead of the festive season.
Brussels sprouts are at their sweetest after the first frosts and work far beyond the Christmas plate, shaved raw into a salad, roasted with chestnuts and bacon or charred hard in a pan. Squash is plentiful and cheap, and leeks are a good bet too, as the charred baby leeks on Ajay Kumar's turbot show.
Seasonal Cheese & Dairy
November is when the cheese board starts to build towards Christmas.
Stilton and stichelton are coming into their best, rich soft cheeses such as Baron Bigod and Tunworth are in fine form, and aged hard cheeses sit well alongside the month's apples, pears and a spoonful of medlar or quince jelly.
Dairy also plays a quieter role in this month's recipes, from the yoghurt marinade and milk-based korma sauce in Achal Aggarwal's chicken musallam to the foaming butter basting Ajay Kumar's turbot.
Wild & Foraged Ingredients
In season: sweet chestnuts, hedgehog mushrooms, winter chanterelles, trompettes, field blewits, sloes, rosehips.
Sweet chestnuts are the foraged highlight of November, best roasted, peeled while still warm and folded into stuffings, soups and purées.
The wild mushroom season winds down through the month, but hedgehog mushrooms, winter chanterelles and trompettes can still be found after rain, and late sloes and rosehips are worth picking for gins, syrups and jellies.
Preservation Ideas
- Medlar jelly
- Chestnut purée
- Spiced apple chutney
- Pickled red cabbage
- Sloe gin
- Christmas mincemeat
November is the time to get ahead for the festive season. Medlar jelly is a traditional partner for game and cheese, chestnut purée keeps well for desserts and stuffings, and a sharp pickle, like the raw mango pickle on Ajay Kumar's turbot, is a good way to cut through a rich winter plate.
Baking & Desserts with Seasonal Fruit
Apples and pears are at their best in November, with British varieties in plentiful supply, and medlars and chestnuts bring a richer, more autumnal edge to the dessert menu. Stir-up Sunday falls on November 22, the traditional day for making Christmas puddings and mincemeat.
From the archive: Francesco Dibenedetto's apple dessert at Brooklands by Claude Bosi
Filmed when he was chef de cuisine at the two Michelin-starred Brooklands by Claude Bosi at The Peninsula London, Francesco crafts a dessert from the tasting menu built around the best of British apples and wild meadowsweet.
November Market Insight
- Venison supply rises with the female deer season opening on November 1 in England and Wales, so it is a good month to buy well and run it across the menu.
- Pheasant and partridge are plentiful and good value, while woodcock is scarce and best ordered well ahead.
- Turbot and monkfish command a premium, and hake is a good value alternative for the winter menu.
- Brussels sprouts, squash and roots are in good supply and cheap now, but expect brassica and chestnut prices to climb into December, so it is worth locking in festive supply early.
Are you using any seasonal ingredients in your menus this month? Upload your pics and recipes to our website, tag us on Instagram @thestaffcanteen, or email [email protected] for more details on how to be featured in our next seasonal update!
Built by Chefs. Powered by You. For 18 years, The Staff Canteen has been the meeting place for chefs and hospitality professionals, your stories, your skills, your space. Every recipe, every video, every news update exists because this community makes it possible. We'll never hide content behind a paywall, but we need your help to keep it free.
For 18 years, The Staff Canteen has been the meeting place for chefs and hospitality professionals—your stories, your skills, your space.
Every recipe, every video, every news update exists because this community makes it possible.
We’ll never hide content behind a paywall, but we need your help to keep it free.
If The Staff Canteen has inspired you, informed you, or simply made you smile, chip in £3—less than a coffee—to keep this space thriving.
Together, we keep the industry connected. Together, we move forward.
