What's good to eat this month? - March

What’s good to eat this month? – March

In the latest of our month-by-month guide to what’s good to eat right now, we’re sharing some of our favourite recipes for enjoying some of the fruit and veg that’s fresh this month. Step this way for March meal planning goodness!

Fruit and veg to enjoy in March

According to this useful guide from the Vegetarian Society, these are the fruit and veg that are at their best this month:

Artichoke, Beetroot, Carrots, Chicory, Cucumber, Leeks, Parsnip, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Radishes, Rhubarb, Sorrel, Spring Greens, Spring Onions, Watercress

We’ve picked some of our favourites from this list and shared some tasty suggestions for your March meal plans below. Don’t forget that we covered carrots and leeks in our guide to what’s good to eat in February, so do take a look there for even more inspiration!

Beetroot

If ever you need to bring a pretty pink hue to your cooking, it’s beetroot to the rescue – and our delicious beetroot hummus recipe is a case in point! Beetroot brings lightness and flavour as well as colour to this divine dip, which you can enjoy with carrots (also fresh this month) and other batons of your favourite veg. You could also use thin slices of fresh beetroot to make Mexican vegetable crisps, which are great for serving as a healthy alternative to nachos. 

Rhubarb

Rhubarb is another fresh ingredient with the potential for a gorgeous shade of pink. It’s a lovely addition to your breakfast; just slowly simmer it down with some sugar and water until it forms a smooth compote ready for serving with yoghurt, spooning onto granola or stirring into porridge. We’ll also be keeping some rhubarb aside this month for making into a hearty crumble, which we’ll be serving with lashings of piping hot custard to use up leftover milk – the perfect treat for a cold March evening.

Spring greens

The term ‘spring greens’ could be applied to all manner of fresh veg available at this time of year, but it technically refers to very young cabbages, which are shaped a bit like a cos lettuce and have loose, thick green leaves, not the tight balls we normally think of when we talk about cabbage. They’re a delicious accompaniment to all your Sunday roasts this month – and with spring lamb also on the menu, there’s lots to look forward to. If you have any leftover roast lamb, why not transform it into this delicious Greek-style lamb, spinach and feta pie or a tasty Leftover Sunday Roast pasty?

Spring onions

Spring onions are actually very young onions, and they’re great for bringing flavour to a variety of dishes – not just to salads! If they need using up, you can use them in any recipe that calls for onions, though they’re slightly milder. They’re a good substitute for raw red onion in salsa or guacamole, too!

Purple sprouting broccoli

Finally, purple sprouting broccoli is another tasty side for your Sunday roasts, pies or quiches this month. You can eat the stems and leaves as well as the florets – just remove the thickest woody bits. You can boil, steam or roast purple sprouting broccoli, as well as using it in any recipes that need regular broccoli, such as pasta dishes like our mouth-watering Mixed vegetable curry.

Have a browse of our recipe bank for lots more cooking inspiration, and don’t forget to pay us another visit next month for tips on using up fresh produce in April!