March

Spring is on the way and there are some wonderful fruit and vegetables in season this month. Take a look at our tips and recipes to help you make the most of your food and impress with some culinary masterpieces!

Cauliflower, kale, leeks, purple sprouting broccoli, rhubarb, salsify, spinach, spring onions, swede, wild nettles, wild garlic.

Spinach

• Salads are one of the top 5 most wasted food items in Norfolk & Suffolk.

• To help keep your spinach at it’s best store in the fridge is an airtight container. Add a paper towel to your container to absorb moisture.

• It’s very good for you too! High in fibre, vitamins and minerals.

Be savvy with your spinach, it isn’t just for salads. Have fun and create some of these fab dishes that everyone will enjoy Green bean & spinach risotto, Italian soup with pearl barley, and Toms vegetarian moussaka.

Leeks

• Don’t waste any of your leeks, you can use the green part too. Remember to wash carefully  and use it the same as you would for the white part.

•  Forgotten to buy onions? Use a leek instead.

•  Leeks can be eaten raw or cooked and have a mild garlicky flavour.

Loving your leeks? you will once you’ve tried our Leek and smoked cheese pithivier, Glamorgan sausages, Leftover Sunday lunch pie or add them to stocks and any stir fry.

Swede

• This vegetable is so versatile but often underrated. It can be roasted for a nutty buttery flavour , steamed or boiled and added to many different dishes.

• Don’t over cook as it can go mushy.

• Not enough potatoes for mash?  No problem, replace half the potatoes with swede.

• Store in a cool dark place either a cupboard or in the vegetable tray in your fridge.

• Swede can be frozen too, peel chop and blanch and pop in the freezer in a labelled bag or container.

For some sensational swede recipes head over to BBC Good Food.