Eating With the Calendar: A Month-by-Month Guide to Britain's Best Seasonal Produce

At Brookshaws & Sons, we have stocked our shelves according to the seasons since Nathaniel Brookshaw first wheeled his barrow onto the market square in 1892. It was never a lifestyle choice back then — it was simply how food worked. Supermarket aisles have blurred the calendar, but the old rhythm is still the best guide to flavour, value and supporting British growers.

Here is our month-by-month companion for the loyal local shopper. Print it, pin it, or simply ask at the counter — we will always tell you what is at its peak.

Winter: January to March

The lean months are also, in our view, the most underrated. Kale, leeks, Brussels sprouts and celeriac all shrug off frost, and cold actually improves the flavour of sprouts and parsnips by converting starches to sugars.

Our tips:

• Buy forced Yorkshire rhubarb in February — the pink stems are a short-season luxury and make the finest crumble in the county.
• Store root vegetables in a cool, dark place in a paper bag, never sealed plastic, which encourages rot.
• Seville oranges appear for just a few weeks in January. If you have ever meant to make your own marmalade, this is your moment.

Spring: April to June

Spring arrives on our shelves on the back of a lorry from the Lincolnshire fens. British asparagus is the headline act — the traditional season runs from St George's Day (23 April) to Midsummer's Day, and we would argue it is worth the wait.

Our tips:

• Asparagus wants eating within days of cutting. Keep the stems upright in a jug of water, like flowers.
• New potatoes, spring greens, radishes and the first English gooseberries all follow in quick succession through May and June.
• Look out for elderflower in early June — a forgotten favourite that makes a superb cordial or a light syrup for puddings.

Summer: July to September

This is the counter at its most abundant. English strawberries lead the way — buy them in season, at room temperature, and never refrigerate them for more than a day or the flavour suffers.

Our tips:

• Broad beans, courgettes, raspberries, gooseberries and cherries follow one another through July and August. Broad beans, podded and simply buttered, are summer on a plate.
• August brings sweetcorn — the natural sugars turn to starch within hours of picking, so buy local and cook the same day.
• September is plum and damson season. A forgotten favourite: the Shropshire Prune damson, ideal for jam and crumbles.

Autumn: October to December

The store cupboard months. Apples and pears from traditional British orchards reach their peak, and varieties you will rarely see in the multiples — Egremont Russet, Discovery, Blenheim Orange — are worth seeking out.

Our tips:

• Squashes, pumpkins, kale and leeks anchor the winter kitchen. Whole squash keeps for months in a cool pantry.
• Buy Brussels sprouts on the stalk in December — they keep better and taste sweeter.
• Game comes into season too: pheasant and partridge from October onwards, from suppliers we have used for decades.

Why Seasonal Still Matters

Three practical reasons, the same ones our grandfathers would have given you:

1. Flavour. Produce picked ripe and nearby simply tastes better than produce picked early and shipped.
2. Value. Gluts mean lower prices. A tray of plums in September costs a fraction of a punnet of imported strawberries in November.
3. Community. Every seasonal purchase supports British farmers, many of them within an hour's drive of our shop.

Forgotten British Favourites Worth Rediscovering

A few that deserve a return to the weekly shop:

• Kohlrabi — a curious, sweet brassera that roasts beautifully.
• Samphire — the coastal asparagus, wonderful with fish in July.
• Medlars — left to blet until soft, they taste of spiced apple and dates.
• Kale's older cousin, cavolo nero's British equivalent: perennial kale — hardy, generous and largely unappreciated.

Ask Us First

Rules of thumb are useful, but nothing beats a conversation. If you are ever unsure what is genuinely in season, what will keep until the weekend, or what to do with a vegetable you do not recognise — ask at the counter. It is a service we have offered since 1892, and unlike most things on the High Street, it has never gone out of fashion.