British seasonal food in March – what to eat now
If you’re looking for British seasonal food in March, it’s often thin on the ground so you need to know what to look for. We’re now at the start of the ‘hungry gap’ in the UK, that awkward time when many seasonal foods have finished and other crops are yet to start growing.
However, look carefully and you’ll find the first few green shoots of the Spring bursting through, such as wild garlic. Many types of fish and shellfish are coming into season too.
As the home grown list is relatively small in March, this country also relies heavily on imported fresh ingredients for volume and variety. Look out for blood oranges, passion fruits and more for a blast of bright flavour.
What’s good to buy, pick, cook and eat this month? Let’s see.
Fruit in season in March
British-grown seasonal fruit
- apples (from store)
- rhubarb (mostly forced)
Best imported seasonal fruit
- blood oranges
- clementines
- passion fruit
Recommended seasonal fruit books
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Vegetables in season in March
- cabbage (green, Spring greens)
- celeriac
- chard
- chicory
- kale
- leeks
- parsnips
- purple sprouting broccoli
- seakale
- spring onions
You can also find leafy crops grown under cover (leaf beet, oriental greens, winter salad leaves), plus stored vegetables like beetroot.
[Available most months in good condition: broccoli, button mushrooms, carrots, cauliflower, maincrop potatoes, onions, rocket.]
Herbs in season in March
- chives
- coriander
- parsley
[Older leaves of hardy perennials like bay, rosemary, sage, and thyme are available too.]
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Recommended seasonal veg books & box delivery
Wild / foraged food in March
- nettle tops
- wild garlic (aka ramsons)
[Take great care when foraging as it’s very easy to confuse edible and poisonous ingredients.]
Recommended wild food & foraging books
Fish in season in March 2023
Fish stocks change from one year to the next, influenced by marine stewardship, local environmental conditions, and fluctuations in weather conditions. Here’s a rough guide to what’s available now.
Sustainable British fish
- brill
- clams (farmed Manila)
- dab
- gurnard (red & grey)
- halibut (farmed)
- herring / sild
- lobster (European)
- monkfish
- mussels
- oysters
- pollock
- prawns (Northern)
- scallops
- sole (lemon)
- spider crab
- sprat / whitebait
- trout (rainbow)
- wild turbot
[To the best of my knowledge, the list above excludes critically endangered fish. Visit The Good Fish Guide from the Marine Conservation Society for latest lists.]
Fish in season in March, less sustainable
You may still be able to source some of the fish below via a responsible fishmonger.
- brown shrimp
- elvers (endangered, avoid completely)
- langoustine / scampi
- wild salmon
- whelks
[In good condition almost all year: herring/sild, farmed salmon, farmed sea bream and turbot, common/Dover/megrim sole, sustainably-fished monkfish, rope-grown mussels, prawns, rainbow trout.]
Recommended fish & shellfish books
Meat, poultry and game in season in March
As you can see, there’s only one thing in season this month.
- venison (wild red deer)
[Always available in good condition: beef, chicken, pork, rabbit, farmed venison, wood pigeon.]
Recommended meat, poultry & game books
Cheese in season in March
British-made seasonal cheese
- Cotherstone (crumbly, fresh cows’ milk cheese)
- ewe’s milk cheeses
- Stilton
Imported March cheese
- Coulommiers (young/fresh)
- Morbier
- Valençay
[Many quality mature cheeses are available year-round, especially the harder cheeses.]
Recommended cheese & wine books & delivery
Enjoying this post? You may also like:
- British seasonal food in February
- British seasonal food in April
- Grow your own fruit & veg on a budget
- What to sow & do in a March kitchen garden
Our favourite British seasonal food in March
It’s all about the mash here right now. Mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes with carrot, mashed swede (AKA ‘bashed neeps’), and mashed celeriac.
Stepping away from the root veggies for a moment, we’ve also been making some delicious stir fries recently. Seasonal ingredients have included pak choi, sprouting broccoli, and plenty of spring onions for lighter bites and midweek meals.
On the sweeter side of things, we’re making the most of the seasonal apples and rhubarb, with a pie and a crumble in our near future.
Recommended general seasonal books for inspiration
Which seasonal ingredients will you be buying and cooking this March? Let us know in the comments below.
Useful, keep up the good work.