The parsnip is just coming into season and by this we mean they are available domestically from the ground in peak condition. Many parsnips arrive in large plastic storage bags and these cause the vegetable to sweat and like other roots, this limits their useful life. A freshly pulled parsnip can be stored in the dark and dry for months. This is a perfect winter veg and can be used in many other ways than being roasted. As a rule of the thumb, the larger the parsnip, the tougher it can be.

Here is another way to use this versatile veg, as parsnip puree. This makes a great accompaniment to any roast or even on it’s own as a comfort dish.

Ingredients
Parsnips
Milk
Salt
Ground black pepper
Butter

For an additional warming touch:
Onion seeds (pinch)
Mustard seeds (pinch)
Curry leaves (1 or 2)
Asafoetida (a quick dash)
Vegetable oil (or ghee) a tablespoon

Method

Peel, top and tail the parsnips. Cut the thin section off the front as one piece and section the large end lengthwise. If the parsnip is tough slice out the centre and discard with peel to compost.

Put into pan and just cover with milk. Bring milk to a simmer, season to taste. When the parsnips ar soft to a fork, they are ready. Put to one side. Blend till smooth and add a dot or two of butter to preference.

In another pan, heat oil. Add the warming ingredients until the seeds pop and then pour over the parnsip puree and serve.

At home we have a mature walnut tree standing at the side of the house. Every so often you will here one of the fruit dropping from the tree and then bouncing down the tiled roof. Technically they are not in season for another month, but the ones on the ground are ready to store. The maths are quite stunning, this tree can produce several small sacks a year of nuts. Now why am I talking about maths and also an ingredients that isn’t even in season yet? It all started with one of my random rants the other day, which was picked up by our friend PodChef and he sent me the link to this You Tube Video.

So how do these little creatures perform the art of subtraction so well that I end up with close to zero nuts each year?

The walnut is a great ingredient and, luckily, you don’t need that many of them to make up simple salad, a nut topping for a dessert or even to make a pesto. Earlier on in the year, these can be collected when they are still in the green husk and pickled. Not to everyones taste but a staple when the game season comes about.

A close relative of the onion and nearly just as versatile. the leek is deservant of it’s position as a symbol of Britain. One noted Welshman, Terry Walton, has plenty of advice on the humble leek. Terry is the BBC allotment guru and has spent most of his life growing veg on his various family plots. One tip is to cover the base of the leek with a length of old drain pipe to encourage a larger area of white on the vegetable.

The leek should not be confined to potato soup or being stewed to death as a drab side dish. After carefully cleaning of the soil, it can be cut many ways, as a chiffonade, into slices, sticks or even as a wrap. Leeks are just as delicious raw as they are cooked. If you are looking for a milder substitute for the spring onion, the leek is just the thing. The leek is an important component of any good vegetable stock which is a compliment to it’s flavour.

If you want a real treat, try leeks in a cheese sauce, covered with breadcrumbs and browned under the grill.

When it comes to sweetcorn, he is bang on the money. Not only is this a delicious, multi purpose ingredient, it’s also grown in great quantities in the UK. This is emphasized when I was driving around some country roads near home and there were fields full of corn over 8′ tall. Nowhere did this hit home but at a local attraction, The National Forest – Maize Maze . Here, the farmer has clearly realised that once his crop is planted, he can’t do anything with that land until harvest. So every year when the corn gets to a certain height, roughly mid July, they design a new themed maze in the fields. This year, they had a beach holiday feel to it, lots of fun. This goes on until late September, when the corn is harvested. A great day out for all the family and many activities on site.

Apart from providing a Great British day out in the summer, corn is also fantastic produce. There are very few ingredients that you can boil, barbecue, cream and even make bread with. One of our favourites are the sweet corn pancakes that Chef Dan puts on the menu occasionally. Corn is susceptible to over cooking, especially if you keep it on the boil for too long. Careful preparation and gentle treatment brings the best out in corn.

The blackberry is one of the real gems of the hedgerow, up there with the sloe. Like any fruit, too much water can produce a soft tasteless berry and too little, will prevent them reaching their potential. It has a great range of use and is easily available to anybody willing to forage.

There are three safety points that need to be in mind when you go blackberry picking; brambles are sharp, always wash what you pick, watch out for cars. The good news about brambles, if they are yours, is that they can be cut back drastically after the blackcurrant harvest and they will stay down for most of the year.

After the picking, you have plenty of choices of what to do with your fruit. Blackberry gin, crumble, jam or a rich sauce to go with game, goose or duck. Some of you will have spotted that last sentence and asking why goose and game are not game. My definition of game is wild but the majority of goose and duck are farmed.

If you want to go a stage further with the sauce, you could sieve it and spoon, warm, over ice cream.

Another emotive subject in the same week, sorry but nature does have it’s own timings too. The glorious 12th kicks off the grouse season with a bang, but a lot of tradition and common sense is built into why this time of year is right for game. Many crops finish off about now and are ready for harvest. The very same crops which we would hope to store or use before winter are also the food of many game animals. Rabbits, pigeons and squirrels are a pest all year round but the mature game birds are taking advantage of the grain and the fruit. A number of birds are readying themselves for their long flights south and will be bulking up on energy. The last thing a farmer would want to see is part of his corn field disappearing to Florida inside a flock of geese.

The hidden side of the game season is in the conservation of species, a main reason why there is no year round shooting. Organisations like The British Association of Shooting and Conservation (BASC) work on the basis of the balance between hunting and sustainability. Game is raised naturally, it’s lean, humanely treated, traditional and most importantly full of flavour.

One of favourite treatments of game is smoking. Venison and pigeon are especially deservant of cherry or maple wood. This is accompanied by a seasonal fruit source, often blackberry and other hedge treats.

If you want to know more about when you can get hold of game, we have compiled a PDF chart of the British game seasons.

If you are lucky, you might catch the very last of the British asparagus season. Should you prefer tastes of a more mediterranean nature, then there are some great finds in the garden at this time of year; garlic, brocolli, courgettes and basil. The only problem with basil, tomato or chilli growth is that you may need to share your crop with aphids. So, as with all things natural and native, is the cycles behind the seasons. While the aphids are gorging on your finest greenhouse produce, you will notice the hatching of ladybirds. If you can capture a few of these and introduce them to your trouble plants, you will have one of best defences in the garden.

Sadly another pest is prevalent at the moment, my arch-enemy, the grey squirrel. The walnut tree is starting to show the first fruit of the year and the tree rats have noticed.

What could go nicer with some of those summery herbs, but lobster, prawns and some of the first scallops (check at the end of the month).

Anyway, just putting the finishing touches to a recipe involving squirrel, beetroot and thyme …

What a great time of the year for lots of gentle flavours. It is almost corny, but sea fish with salads and herbs is June on a plate. A lot of those iron rich leaves are at their best now, adding both crunch and strong taste to the plate. A lot of the freshly available veg is subtle and very good for steaming or stir fry such as new potatoes, broccoli, courgettes and carrots.

Cherries are at their best and the blossom has dropped. One of the first signs of their appearance is the sudden arrival of red bird poo everywhere there are cherry trees. Perfect combination is woodpigeon with cherry sauce, both in peak condition. Very little other game is in season or available.

If fish is your thing, sea fish are at their best. As always, try and source sustainably and locally.

This is one of the pivotal times of the year, when the food mood completely changes. Oysters and scallops are out and spring lamb is in. It’s not quite ready for summer and many of the gentler flavours of the earth are at their best. There is very little in the way of fresh fruit available, unless you count rhubarb, which is technically a vegetable. To keep things light, gentle green leaves such as spinach, rocket and lettuce are available.

May is also a good month for foraging. Wild garlic and nettles are coming to their best and will be optimum about the end of the month. Wild mushrooms will be there for the keen eyed.

Most white sea fish is at it’s best as well as samphire and gull’s eggs. Perhaps the best treat, is the short lived asparagus season, especially with a soft boiled gulls egg.

The real stars of the show this month are the early vegetables and fruits. These are mainly the green leaved varieties such as brocoli, purple sprouting brocolli, rocket, spinach, rhubarb and a couple of our own favourites wild garlic and nettles. A lot of iron rich veg to compliment the strong flavours of wood pigeon and salmon.

Jersey new potatoes are being harvested and are lovely on their own as a side dish or to go with some of the more delicate fish on offer as well as spring lamb.

Flavours of this time of year are earthy and green, which will give way to more subtle fruits and salads in the next couple of months. Shellfish will fade away over summer to some extent, certainly scallops and oysters will be in their breeding season.

The arrival of mint will bring in the best of the lamb, but also the start of the Pimm’s season