British seasonal food in November – what to eat now
Welcome to our comprehensive guide to all the best British seasonal food in November, including fruit, veg, foraged ingredients, fish, shellfish, meat and cheeses.
As the clocks go back in the UK and the weather cools, we start to rely more on hearty vegetables, and stored and imported fruits.
November’s seasonal ingredients lend themselves to delicous, comforting pies, crumbles, bakes and casseroles, and many other dishes. Here’s what to buy at the market, look out for in your delivery box or pick from the allotment this month.
Fruit in season in November
There’s less to choose from this month in the homegrown fruit section, and it’s mostly tree fruits from the pome family (apples, quince, pears, medlars etc) to enjoy at their best. Top up with nuts and imported fruits to add variety.
British-grown fruit
- apples
- cranberries (the UK produces a few homegrown)
- medlars
- pears
- quinces
Best imported seasonal fruit
- clementines
- cranberries
- dates
- ‘easy peelers’ citrus (satsumas, tangerines etc)
- pomegranates
Nuts in season in November
- almonds
- hazelnuts (from store)
- sweet chestnuts
- walnuts
Recommended seasonal fruit & preserves books
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Vegetables in season in November
The vegetables are mostly hearty ones this month, with a wide range of root vegetables and hardy brassicas dominating the harvests.
For an interesting treat, look out for Jerusalem artichokes and other ingredients such as salsify.
- beetroot (stored)
- broccoli (sprouting)
- Brussels sprouts and tops
- cabbage (Savoy, red)
- cardoons
- celeriac
- celery
- chard
- chicory
- endive
- horseradish
- Jerusalem artichoke
- kale
- kohlrabi
- leeks
- pak choi and other oriental greens
- parsnips
- pumpkins and winter squashes (from store)
- salsify
- scorzonera
- spinach
- swedes
- turnips
- winter radish
- winter salad leaves (grown under cover)
[Available most months in good condition: button mushrooms, carrots, cauliflower, maincrop potatoes, onions, rocket.]
Recommended seasonal veg books & box delivery
Herbs in season in November
- fennel
- marjoram
- mint
- parsley (especially hardy curled types)
- sage
- thyme
- winter savory
[Always available: chives, coriander and parsley grown under cover; older leaves of hardy perennials like bay, rosemary, sage, thyme.]
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Wild / foraged food in season in November
It’s well and truly wild mushroom season as the weather turns. If you’re feeling flush, look out for the big highlight: truffles.
The other popular foraged ingredient this month is sloes for flavouring jams, gins and liqueurs.
- sloes
- wild mushrooms (ceps / penny bun / porcini, chanterelles, field, horn of plenty / black trumpets / trompettes, puffball, truffle and more)
[Take great care when foraging as it’s very easy to confuse edible and poisonous ingredients.]
Recommended foraging & wild food books
Fish in season in November
Cooler seas mean more fish are in good condition this month, especially hake, haddock and sustainably fished cod. However, as the weather becomes rougher it also becomes harder for fishing boats to bring in a catch.
Seasonal fish varies greatly in different areas around the UK, and from year to year, changing in response to sea temperature, conservation or overfishing, and breeding cycles. Here’s a rough guide to what’s on sale now that’s considered to be more sustainable:
Sustainable British fish
- brill
- clams
- cockles
- coley / saithe
- dab
- flounder
- gurnard (grey, red)
- haddock
- hake
- halibut (wild Greenland)
- herring
- lobster
- mackerel
- monkfish
- mussels
- oysters
- plaice
- pollock
- pouting/bib
- prawns
- scallops
- sole (common / Dover, lemon, witch)
- spider crab
- sprat / whitebait
- trout
- wild turbot
[To the best of my knowledge, the list above is up to date and excludes the latest lists of critically endangered fish, but the information can change at short notice. Visit The Good Fish Guide from the Marine Conservation Society for latest lists.]
Less sustainable UK fish
You should also be able to source these from responsible fishmongers, depending on the area and fishing methods used:
- Atlantic cod (line caught)
- langoustine / scampi
- seabream
- squid
- whelks
- whiting
[In good condition almost all year: herring, farmed arctic char, farmed halibut, farmed rainbow trout, farmed sea bream, farmed turbot, megrim sole, sustainably-fished monkfish, rope-grown mussels, prawns.]
Recommended seasonal fish & shellfish books
Meat, poultry and game in season in November
Game is still plentiful this month, especially venison. There are also several different types of farmed poultry raised in greater quantity for the winter market, including guinea fowl, goose and turkey.
- capercaillie
- duck (wild)
- goose (including wild geese)
- grouse (red and black)
- guinea fowl (farmed)
- hare, mallard, partridge
- pheasant
- ptarmigan
- snipe
- teal
- venison (fallow deer, red deer, roe deer doe, sika deer)
- wigeon
- woodcock
[Always available in good condition: beef, chicken, pork, farmed venison, rabbit, wood pigeon.]
Recommended meat, game & poultry books
Cheese in season in November
We’re now at the point in the year where the quality cheeses made from spring and summer pasture milks have had longer to mature. This results in stronger flavoured blue, goat and sheep cheeses, as well as more tangy Cheddars.
It’s also when some of the best Alpine cheeses, from cows fed on herb-rich mountain pastures, are ready to hit the market.
UK-made cheeses
- Cashel Blue and other medium-matured blue cheeses
- Ribblesdale and other mature goat cheese
- Wigmore (semi-hard sheep’s cheese)
- vintage Lincolnshire Poacher
- vintage farmhouse cheddars
Imported November cheese
- Alpine mountain cheeses such as mature Gruyère, mature Comté and raclette
- Vacherin Mont d’Or
[Many quality mature cheeses are available year-round, especially hard cheeses.]
Recommended cheese & wine books + delivery
Enjoyed this guide? You may also like:
- British seasonal food in October
- British seasonal food in December
- What to sow & do in a November kitchen garden
- Christmas prep in November (coming soon)
What we’re eating at Golightly Gardens this November
It’s time to get making a few pies and stews, isn’t it? I think we’ll be starting with a mixed vegetable chilli or root vegetable bake as soon as there’s a hint of frost. There’s a mashed-potato topped pie of some sort on the menu too, served with greens and plenty of gravy, of course.
November is also the perfect month to make a pear or apple crumble. They’re easy to make, and you can put it on a lower shelf in the oven while a main course is cooking to save electricity, or make it in an air fryer for a quick weekend dessert.
On the cheese front, we’ve already bought a nice piece of Gruyère cheese to enjoy this November. It’s been part of a cheeseboard and a tasty sandwich filling so far. The third outing will be as a gratin topping, mixed with breadcrumbs, on top of a hearty cauliflower, leek and spinach bake – looking forward to that.
Recommended seasonal inspiration: books & great gifts
Do you have any favourite November British seasonal ingredients to add to your shopping list?
What are you looking forward to cooking this month? Let us know your favourite dishes and flavours in the comments box below.
