In Season: Produce for spring
Alan Edmeades, product marketing manager, M&J Seafood: April sees an array of fish coming into season, including brill, dover sole, whelks, winkles, megrim and fresh Pacific halibut.
Brill has a sweet-tasting flesh and the skin changes colour according to where it is caught - lighter colours are found on sandy seabeds, with darker, richer colours found on muddier beds. With the flesh being sweeter, try a sauvignon blanc reduction sauce, garnished with a spoonful of avruga/sea relish and chopped chives.
Dover sole, the king of the soles, has a crisp, white flesh firm to touch, with an almost sweet taste. Often too firm to cook immediately after being caught, it is best after one or two days (around the time when you receive it) when the texture and flavour is enhanced.
Whelk and winkle meat is juicy with a strong flavour and a chewy texture. Serve cooked with lemon juice, salt, pepper or with traditional malt vinegar.
Megrim, also known as whiff, is a flat fish with an oval body, similar to lemon sole with a sandy-brown dark side. It is becoming more popular as chefs and the public rediscover this quality British seasonal produce - we are fortunate enough to catch most of it off the south coast.
Fresh Pacific halibut is line-caught from sustainable fisheries across Alaska and Canada. The season runs through until around November, though as part of the fisheries' careful management the exact date can be brought forward to ensure stocks remain sustainable.
John Martin, product marketing manager, Prime Meats: British lamb is available year-round these days but the traditional spring lamb season moves north easterly through the spring and summer, starting in the West Country, working its way through Southern England to the Midlands, Wales, the North and Scotland.
Spring lamb has small, slender bones with pink, rosy-coloured flesh that is meltingly tender and more subtle than darker-fleshed summer or autumn lamb. It's also relatively expensive, so at certain times of the year New Zealand lamb, available all year round, offers consistently high quality and excellent value for money.
Taking into consideration the many cuts of lamb that are available and the variety of cooking methods that can be used, lamb is a mainstay of pub menus.
Sally Sturely, product marketing manager, Pauleys: What greater way is there to make the most of what's in season than by teaming spring food together on your menu? Spring lamb would be great cooked with rosemary, and served with spinach.Spinach (pictured) is available year-round, but the freshest and most tender spinach is to be found in the spring.
High in folate and vitamin C and a source of vitamin E, calcium, iron and magnesium, spinach has a distinctly earthy flavour and is slightly bitter/metallic. The leaves can be enjoyed on their own in salads or they can be incorporated into a wide range of dishes.
Spinach has high water content and so reduces to around a quarter of its size when cooked, so make sure that you take this into account when ordering.
Rosemary, an evergreen herb, can be enjoyed all year round too. Roast spring lamb with sprigs of rosemary inserted into the joints to add flavour or finely chop the leaves and add them to stuffing and sauces.
For further information, contact: M&J Seafood: 0845 606 9090 Pauleys: 0870 600 2005 Prime Meats: 0845 606 9090
- For an exclusive recipe for Lamb cooked in Red Wine and Rosemary, visit the recipe section at www.thepublican.com/food, or use the related stories link.
