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August

Greengages

GreengagesThe greengage is a small, round, green plum with a yellow-green or golden, sweet, scented flesh. Wild greengages were possibly introduced to Britain by the Romans but, by the Middle Ages, they had disappeared from cultivation. The first cultivated greengage was brought to Britain by Sir Thomas Gage who lived in Suffolk, where growing conditions for the fruit are perfect. The green skin may not indicate sweetness but ripe greengages are mouth-watering when eaten raw and they make excellent jam or purée for pies and puddings.

HareHare

Hare is not widely available but you should be able to find it ready to cook from game butchers or on menus at more adventurous restaurants. It's similar to rabbit in texture, but not in flavour: hare has dark brown, strong gamey flesh, which is very different from the pale, mild flesh of rabbit. Best cooked when young for tender meat, it's hung for a few days and skinned; the legs and saddle make the choicest cuts. Hare is popular throughout Europe and is often domestically bred. Traditional British recipes include jugged hare and roast leg or saddle of hare. If you don't fancy cooking it at home, let a professional chef cook it for you.

Skate

Skate is related to the shark. Only the wings of the skate are used and they contain no bones, just a pliable cartilage which can be easily removed, leaving tender flesh to savour. Skate has a gelatinous quality that makes it excellent for making pâté, stock and terrine. A fishmonger will usually keep skate wings in cold storage for a couple of days to allow the flavour to develop and the flesh to soften before selling them. The wings can be fried in a little butter, flavoured with capers and samphire, or in olive oil and garlic and served with new potatoes or chunky chips.

Basil

BasilThere are numerous varieties of basil but, in Britain, we are more familiar with two types: sweet basil and holy basil. Holy basil is commonly used in Thai and Asian cooking and, as these cuisines have become very popular in Britain, the demand for this herb has increased. However, sweet basil is even better known, giving us a taste of the sunny south and Mediterranean climes. Its bright green, succulent and tender leaves have a spicy, sweet flavour which marries perfectly with the flavours of tomatoes, garlic, aubergines and courgettes. A well-known recipe using basil, and lots of it, is pesto, which is used as a sauce for pasta or for chicken and fish. For recipes using pesto, go to our Recipe finder.

Peas

PeasEvidence that ancient Egyptians enjoyed peas comes from the discovery of seeds in the tombs at Thebes. Good quality frozen peas are fine but British summertime brings fresh garden peas that are at their best blanched and coated in a little melted butter. In Italy, peas are cooked with rice or with small chunks of bacon; the French also cook peas with bacon, adding onions and chunks of carrot. Pea and ham soup is a British favourite as is serving fresh peas with duckling. Older peas tend to be less tender than young ones and are best used to make soup or purée.
Try
Mushy Peas

Whats in season information taken from the BBC food website.