This is one of the most exciting times of year for British produce, when tomatoes and peppers are at their sweetest, summer berries are plentiful and there's a bounty of produce from green beans and courgettes, to radishes and kohlrabi coming out of the ground. Take a look at what's in your shops and veg boxes, and put seasonal, local fruit and veg front and centre of your meals. These are the recipes we're cooking over July and August.
Heritage Tomato Salad from Cook. Nourish. Glow: Step Into Summer by Amelia Freer
British tomatoes are at their ripest and juiciest right now, and this simple summer salad is the best way to do them justice. Head to a farmer's market to see if you can find a variety of shapes and colours, then dress them simply with extra virgin olive oil and shallots. Here are more ways to eat your summer tomatoes.
Get a copy of Cook. Nourish. Glow here.
Peppers Stuffed with Rice in a Tomato Sauce from The Food of Spain by Claudia Roden
These peppers are stuffed with saffron-spiked rice and baked in a homemade tomato sauce until bubbling and utterly comforting. Claudia Roden recommends using the sweeter-tasting red peppers for stuffing, “but others prefer the more peppery green ones which can also be used”.
Order a copy of The Food of Spain here.
Burmese Chicken Salad from Caravan: Dining All Day by Laura Harper-Hinton, Miles Kirby & Chris Ammermann
Mild, sweet and with a delicious crunch, kohlrabi might not be the most well-known of vegetables but it grows well at this time of year. Grate it into summer slaws or try it finely sliced in this Burmese-inspired chicken salad with turmeric, chilli, lime and peanuts.
Order a copy of Caravan: Dining All Day here.
Deep Fried Courgette Flowers from My Simple Italian by Theo Randall
Courgettes and marrows are growing well at the moment, as are delicate courgette flowers, which are incredible when stuffed with ricotta and herbs and fried in a light batter. If you grow your own, this is the perfect way to use them. Alternatively, if you have a surplus of courgettes or marrow, bake them into Mary Berry's Courgette Loaves or this Courgette and Ciabatta Frittata from Ottolenghi's Simple.
Order a copy of My Simple Italian here.
Niçoise Salad with Fried Chickpeas from Eat Green Melissa Hemsley
Peppery, crunchy radishes and green beans come into their own in this flexitarian take on a French classic. “This salad has all the best bits of the Niçoise plus extras and it always goes down well at a party as a sharing main”, says Melissa.
From the book
Eat Green
Feel-good food that helps the planet and saves you money
Full of clever tips on seasonal ingredients and sustainable cooking
With flexitarian recipes to suit vegans, veggies, and omnivores
Joe's Blackberry Brownies from The Little Book of Chocolat by Joanne Harris & Fran Warde
Juicy, plump blackberries are ripening on hedgerows in July and, depending on the weather, will be ready to eat by early August. Team them with chocolate in this gooey brownie or for something equally indulgent, put them into a cheese toastie – it works!
