In Season | June
June signals the arrival of a host of seasonal produce from Britain and beyond, providing chefs with a wonderful array of top quality food to create some sensational summer dishes. Read on for more from the expert team at Fresh Direct.
Strawberries
British strawberries come into their own in June, and remain in season until October. As we build up to the start of Wimbledon, strawberries always become national news, so it’s a great time to capitalise on their popularity.
Evidence suggests that strawberries, which are high in vitamin C and folate, have been part of the diet since the Neolithic period. While we can’t claim to go back that far, we do have a long-standing relationship with Driscoll’s, our berry supplier. This year we’ll take berries from farms including Clockhouse Farm in Kent and Lower Reule Farm in Staffordshire.
Our development chef, Simon Spooner, suggests being a bit more adventurous with these berries, and strawberry and lemongrass soup with coconut sorbet is a particular favourite.
Baby Plum Tomatoes
One of the highlights from this year’s Isle of Wight tomato range are mixed baby plum tomatoes. These wonderfully sweet tomatoes are grown from different plants in the same greenhouse and then combined in packs that look fantastic.
Key to the taste and flavour is the unique growing environment, which has the most hours of sunshine in the UK and reflected light from the surrounding sea, which gives the fruit the wonderful flavours that our customers are enjoying.
These delicious tomatoes contain lycopene which is an antioxidant, and they are also a source of vitamin C. If you want something a little different on the menu, but with a great summer vibe, try Development Chef David Lively’s Baby Plum Tomato Tart with Garlic Oil Drizzle, which really showcases the flavour of these tomatoes.
Peaches
Peaches were first cultivated in China, which remains the peach capital of the world, producing 65% of the world’s harvest. Ours are produced much closer to home, coming from Italy and Spain over the summer from May to October.
The popularity of peaches in China means that, of the temperate fruits, only apples and pears are produced in larger quantities. They are high in vitamin C and a whole peach is 1 of your 5 a day
Peaches are part of the genus Prunus, which also includes cherries, apricots and plums.
Our team love peaches and our Head of Food Development, Ian Nottage suggests creating a real taste of summer with his recipe for honey roasted peaches, raspberry pannacotta, crème Chantilly, with an almond & raspberry crumb, peach coulis and a camelina tuile.
Courgettes
Over the summer, we source fantastic British courgettes from the south coast, where they benefit from plenty of sunshine and a wonderful growing climate.
In the UK, we tend to grow our courgettes outside, which differs from Spain, which supplies them for the rest of the year alongside some additional supplies over the summer, where the produce tends to be grown indoors.
Courgettes like warm, sunny weather. During the English summer, courgettes can grow from a small flower to a full sized fruit in a matter of days, making them one of the freshest vegetables. A surprisingly versatile veg, courgettes can be used across a range of dishes from salads to fritters and they make terrific fries.
First cultivated in Milan in the late 19th century, courgettes are known as zucchinis in the United States, which is Italian for little marrow, which is exactly what they are!
Nutritionally, courgettes will deliver one of your five a day.
Fine Beans
Our premium fine green beans are grown in Senegal and by our long-standing partners in Morocco – ensuring reliable, consistent quality. Produced in ideal climates with long sunny days, the beans are tender with vibrant colour, great texture, and a fresh, sweet flavour.
Lettuce
A summer staple, all of our lettuce is now from the UK, with Chinese leaf being the last to transition to our shores. Our long-term growing partner, Len Wright Salads grows lettuce in the north west of England, where the black, peaty soil provides a great growing environment for creating super salads.
Broccoli
The end of May and beginning of June sees us begin the switch to British, so by the end of the month, we will be fully into the UK season.
We’ll take our broccoli from Cornwall, Lincolnshire and Scotland, giving us a great spread across the country for this popular and nutritious product, which is high in vitamin K, folate and vitamin C.
Aubergines
Aubergines are a great choice for this time of year, as they are plentiful in June with a good supply of Dutch produce. While we do still source some produce from Spain, the cooler and milder climate in Holland at this time of year helps provide top quality produce.
With around a third of an aubergine providing one of your five a day, they are a good choice for healthy eating.
