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Make the most of May
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Fruit
Vegetables
Meat and fish
Other seasons and reasons
May is a generally a great, green burgeoning kind of month, heralding the arrival of new, home-grown produce, such as tender asparagus, fresh herbs and flavourful fish. Dee McQuillan reports
Fruit
- If it is not really happening here yet on the fruit front, it is in Mediterranean countries, as aromatic melons gather strength in the sun – the Galia variety is one of the first to reach us. Cherries and a few white peaches might arrive, too, as the month goes on – time then for Ricotta Cherry Cheesecake with Fresh and Dried Cherries or for Fresh Peaches Baked in Marsala with Mascarpone Cream.
- A native flavouring available for free are elderflowers, which may be blossoming from late May down south, weather willing. If not, hit the bottle for concentrated, convenient elderflower cordial.
- Also arriving early are English strawberries grown under glass, a recent development and on sale now.
- Loquats are a seasonal oddity – the fruit of a japonica tree, ripe when they look rotten and with a vaguely perfumed flavour. They are not a cooking fruit, but are worth sampling at least once.
Recipes to try
Vegetables
- English asparagus is on the way to our shops now. When you've eaten your fill, plainly but perfectly steamed (see How to steam asparagus in the Cookery School section), with Delia's famous Foaming Hollandaise, branch out into Sautéed Asparagus with Eggs and Parmesan, Asparagus under Wraps or Rigatoni and Asparagus au Gratin.
- At this time of year, spuds you like become spuds you love with a passion, as new potatoes from Cornwall, Pembrokeshire and Suffolk come into the shops, and Jersey Royals are better value.
- Once the clouds lift, salad leaves should be coming on a treat, including the first outdoor lettuce, which are full of juice and flavour and lovely to eat with just watercress and vinaigrette (see How to make vinaigrette), or in Delia's Mixed-leaf Caesar Salad.
- Other new leaves to turn over include tangy sorrel and peppery rocket, the latter in Roasted Red Onion, Rocket and Parmesan Salad, for instance. Watercress is good. Garden herbs put on a growth spurt and market stalls have big, bargain bunches of parsley and mint.
- Cute purple-and-white turnips start to turn up at enterprising grocers; these are mild little innocents that mix well with other early summer vegetables. Imported young courgettes with residual flowers are another attraction.
- The star import is probably the globe artichoke, which looks like a Martian flower and tastes terrific. Delia tells you exactly how to tackle it in the Ingredients section of the site - see the Ingredients A-Z.
- Also tempting are the Italian early broad beans: perfect in Delia's Broad Bean Salad with Pancetta and Sherry Vinegar.
Recipes to try
Meat and fish
- At the butchers, only lamb is notably in, whereas at the fishmongers crab is about as good as it can be – we love Cromer crab and Delia's recipe for Potted Cromer Crab.
- The sole and flatfish are back on noble form for simple grilling, as are wild salmon and sea trout. This is a great time for native trout, too, and even ordinary farmed rainbow trout will shine, turned into Steamed Trout Fillets in Lettuce Parcels with a Thai Stuffing.
Recipes to try
Other seasons and reasons
- Now is the time of year for traditional goats' cheese, a capricious subject: you either love it or hate it. If you have a bit to spare, try Goats' Cheese, Onion and Potato Bread with Thyme or the Leek and Goats' Cheese Tart.
- May is when our wistful thoughts about eating out of doors are blatantly exploited by the stores. We suggest, if the sun is shining, that you try: Barbecued Sardines with Summer Herb Sauce or Grilled Lemon Chicken Kebabs.
Recipes to try
