April

New Forest · tabletop hydroponic system

First of the British season. Grown under glass — no air miles, no waiting for the outdoor crop. Snap the stems and eat the same day.

British woodland · foraged

Three weeks a year. You'll smell it before you see it. Pesto, butter, stirred through risotto — do it now.

Jersey, Channel Islands · first earlies

Grown on steep south-facing slopes in seaweed-enriched soil. Waxy, buttery, and only here for a few weeks. Boil, butter, eat.

Cambridge · frost-sweetened

Stood through the entire winter, converting starches into sugars with every frost. Nothing like supermarket calabrese. Nearly done for the year.

Yorkshire Triangle · candlelit forcing sheds

Grown in darkness. Vivid pink. Tender. The supermarket doesn't stock this. The outdoor crop takes over soon — this is the last of the forced.

British-grown · pointed variety

Sweeter and more delicate than its round cousins. Quarter it, char it, dress it. One of the most underrated vegetables going.