February Seasonal cookery

Skintmama

Mmmm! I have Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries too. Everything I cook from it tastes fab.

In Michael Barry's Radio Times Cookery year he suggests we can look forward to the following at it's best in March:
Kohlrabi, Watercress, Radishes, Chinese leaf, Pineapples, Grapefruit, Rhubarb, Kumquats, Dates, Poussin, Mackerel, Hake, Sea trout and Scallops.

He includes the imported fruits and veg in his seasonal calendar which much older books tend not to as we didn't have so many.

In theory all these things should be cheaper if their supply is at its most prolific but sometimes i wonder if we aren't taken advantage of in our expectations, particularly early to mid season.

Curry_Queen

Thanks for the reminder! :T ... I've just dug out my Kitchen Diaries and it's now plonked firmly on the kitchen table so I can read it for inspiration and recipes

The oxtail sounds delicious and I've already spotted some in the butchers I went to last week so I'm hoping to make another trip next week to pick some up, as well as a couple of rabbits for the pot


Oh, and treacle tart mmmmmmmmm :drool: ... not made that in years, but I do have some fresh breadcrumbs in the freezer and syrup in the cupboard :dance:

thriftlady_2

I'm a Nigel Slater fan too,I have Kitchen Diaries,Appetite,Real Fast Food and Real Fast Puddings and a signed copy of Real Cooking.I love his writing,always makes me hungry,but I find some of the timings a bit off.Cooked roast chicken following his instructions in Real Cooking at the weekend(don't know why 'cos I can do it perfectly well without a recipe) and it wasn't cooked properly.Also followed his timings for oxtail and you need at least 3 hours for it to fall off the bone,not 2 like he says.Still love his books though.

Talking of rabbits(one of my favourite cheap meats) has anyone cooked hare?They're in season in winter,season ends this month.My butcher said he could get me one,about £16 each.Sounds a lot but still a lot less than a rib roast.I might have a go at cooking one next year.

caroline1973lefty

Just to say i think that's a fantastic idea.

One of the nicest things about having an organic veggie box is that i get pretty much seasonal produce without having to think about it. Don't spend any more than I used to spend on non-organic veg, as a result.

Curry_Queen

thriftlady wrote:

Talking of rabbits(one of my favourite cheap meats) has anyone cooked hare?They're in season in winter,season ends this month.My butcher said he could get me one,about £16 each.Sounds a lot but still a lot less than a rib roast.I might have a go at cooking one next year.

Thanks for the heads up about the timings on the oxtail

Hare is one of the few things I've not tried yet, although I certainly would if I was offered one! I can't believe this is the first time ever that I'm actually going to have to buy my rabbit from a butcher! :eek:

Penny-Pincher!!

Cabbages are very cheap ATM.

PP
xx