British seasonal food in September - what to eat now

British Seasonal food in September UK in season fruit vegetables fish cheese meat game foraged

There’s a huge range of British seasonal food in September, from the late-ripening summer crops that need extra sunshine to the newer autumn season produce, including fragrant autumn raspberries, the very earliest crisp apples and pears, and a glut of vegetables.

It’s well and truly harvest time.

You can also find a variety of fish that are now out of their spawning period, shellfish from cooler coastal waters, most game, and the first tangy cheeses. Tasty imports from are available from warmer climes too.

Here’s what to buy at the market, or pick from your kitchen garden or allotment in Britain this month.

Fruit in season in September

British seasonal fruit in September and UK nuts — Clockwise from top left: apples, blackberries, cobnuts, figs

British homegrown fruit is abundant this month, so make the most of it. There are a few nuts ready for picking too. Here’s what you can find now at its peak:

apples
blackberries
blueberries
damsons
figs
grapes
greengages
loganberries
melons
peaches
pears
plums
raspberries
tayberries

Best imported seasonal fruit

apricots
peaches
pineapples (Caribbean)
melon (Charentais, cantaloupe, galia)
nectarines

Nuts in season in September

cobnuts and hazelnuts
first few chestnuts

Recommended seasonal fruit & preserves books

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Vegetables in season in September

British seasonal food in September UK vegetables — Clockwise from top left: kohlrabi, peppers, aubergines, tomatoes

aubergines
autumn cabbage (green, red)
beetroot
broccoli (calabrese, autumn sprouting)
brussels sprouts
cardoon
celeriac
celery
chillies
chicory
courgettes
cucumbers
endive
fennel
globe artichokes
green beans (French, runner)
kohlrabi
lettuce and other salad leaves
leeks
marrows
okra
pak choi
parsnips
peppers
pumpkins and winter squashes
radishes (summer, winter)
spinach
spring onions
swedes
sweetcorn
summer squash
tomatoes
turnips
watercress

[Available most months in good condition: button mushrooms, carrots, cauliflower, maincrop potatoes, onions, rocket.]

Recommended seasonal veg books & box delivery

basil
chervil
chives
coriander
dill
fennel
lovage
marjoram
mint
oregano
parsley
rosemary
sage
sorrel
summer savory
tarragon
thyme
winter savory

[Always available: chives, coriander, parsley grown under cover; older leaves of hardy perennials like bay, rosemary, sage, thyme.]

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Wild / foraged food in season in September

British seasonal food in September wild food foraged ingredients — Clockwise from top left: crabapples, damsons, field mushrooms, elderberries

It’s one of the best months of the year for making hedgerow jams and jellies.

bilberries / blaeberries
blackberries
crabapples
damsons
elderberries
rosehips (towards end of month)
samphire (rock)
sloes
wild mushrooms (ceps/penny bun, chanterelles, field, puffball, truffle)

[Take great care when foraging as it’s very easy to confuse edible and poisonous ingredients.]

Recommended foraging & wild food books

British seasonal food in September fish shellfish and seafood — Clockwise from top left: Dover sole, rock oysters, haddock, prawns

Finally there’s an ‘r’ in the month, so oysters are back on the menu again, along with many other shellfish as the sea temperature cools a little. It’s also a really good time of year for the best haddock, sustainably fished cod and squid, and most flatfish.

Seasonal fish availability and sustainability varies greatly from year to year and in different areas around the UK, plus it’s being affected by climate change and conservation measures, but here’s a rough guide to what’s on sale now in the sustainable category.

Sustainable British fish

brill
cockles
coley / saithe
spider crab
dab
flounder
gurnard (grey)
haddock
hake
herring / sild
mackerel
monkfish
mussels
oysters
plaice
pollock
pouting / bib
Dover / common sole
lemon sole
lobster
sardine / European pilchard
sprat / whitebait
wild turbot
witch / Torbay sole

[To the best of my knowledge the list above excludes critically endangered fish, but it never hurts to double check as the situation is constantly changing. Visit The Good Fish Guide from the Marine Conservation Society for their latest lists.]

Fish in season, less sustainable

Many of these types of fish and seafood can still be sourced from a responsible fishmonger:

cod
crayfish
eel
gilthead bream (wild)
halibut (wild)
john dory
langoustine / scampi
razor clams
red mullet
seabass (wild)
seabream (wild)
sea trout
squid
whelks
whiting
wild salmon

[In good condition almost all year: farmed rainbow trout, farmed salmon, farmed sea bream, farmed turbot, megrim sole, sustainably-fished monkfish, rope-grown mussels, prawns.]

Recommended fish & shellfish books

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Meat, poultry & game in season in September

British seasonal food in September meat poultry and game — Clockwise from top left: Mallard (wild duck), grouse, wood pigeon, guinea fowl

Game season is almost in full swing now, with wild duck available from the start of this month. It’s also the beginning of guinea fowl season.

grouse
guinea fowl
hare
lamb
partridge
pheasant
ptarmigan
snipe
venison
wild duck
wild geese
woodcock

[Always available in good condition: beef, chicken, pork, rabbit, turkey, farmed venison, wood pigeon.]

Recommended meat, poultry & game books

Cheese in season in September

British seasonal food in September UK cheese and imported — Left to right: Double Gloucester, Appleby’s traditional Cheshire

British seasonal cheeses

Double Gloucester
farmhouse Cheshire (the only remaining traditional one is Mrs Appleby’s)

Imported seasonal cheese

Camembert

[Many quality mature cheeses are available year-round, especially hard cheeses.]

Recommended cheese & wine books + delivery

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What we’re eating at Golightly Gardens

The weather’s starting to change but there’s still some warmth in the sun. We’ve been enjoying lots of Mediterranean style vegetables here, from trays of roasted vegetables with feta and herbs to charred aubergine dip.

We’ve also been tucking into plenty of grilled courgettes and steamed green beans from the kitchen garden, served with simple grilled seasonal fish or made into a baked gratin.

I’ll be on the lookout for some Kentish cobnuts or fresh hazelnuts at the market, although it’s easy to miss the short season. If we get a cold snap I’ll make an apple and blackberry crumble, or some baked peaches, for a little comfort food treat too.

What about you?