Cooking for the season

Whilst we love cooking for our Dineamic Team, we also love getting you in the kitchen too. Cooking with seasonal produce is always a great place to start, especially when you’re stuck with the age old question of ‘what’s for dinner?’ Cooking with fruits and vegetables that are in season means that you can get produce when it’s at its highest quality. It’s also usually cheaper to buy, because it is in abundance from suppliers, and that means that it’s travelled less food miles. This has a huge impact on environmental sustainability because it means that our supermarkets aren’t flying things over from the other side of the world (think cherries during winter for example). Have a look at the list below for what’s in season at the moment.

In season: November

Fruit

Apricots, loganberries, raspberries, strawberries, youngberries, cherries, lemons, limes and oranges.

Vegetables

Artichoke, asparagus, Asian greens, beans, beetroot, broad beans, cabbages, cucumber, carrots, kohlrabi (green), garlic, lettuces, onions, peas, silver beet, snow peas, spinach and spring onions.

Herbs

Bay leaf, parsley, mint, rosemary, thyme, chives, oregano, marjoram, sage, bronze fennel, dill, basil and watercress.

Spinach, Broadbean & Leek Soup

— 2 x TBS olive oil — 1 x leek, finely sliced — 2 x cloves of garlic, finely chopped — 1L x vegetable stock — 2 x cups of broad beans — 400g x baby spinach — 1 x lemon, juice and zest Heat olive oil in a large saucepan and add leeks, sauté gently for about 10 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook for another couple of minutes. Add in the vegetable stock and broad beans and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 5 minutes. Add in lemon juice and zest, as well as salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat of completely and add the baby spinach, stirring well, the heat will be enough to wilt the leaves

Notes:

• For a richer soup, blend half of the cooled liquid in a blender and then add it back to the pot
• You can add fresh asparagus also if broad beans are hard to find
• Some people like to take the second pod off the broad bean, this can

Does the mere mention of spring make your eyes water from hay fever? Have a look at our top tips for fighting hay fever symptoms with good old-fashioned food.