With April showers out of the way, May is the first chance we get to really start looking forward to a lovely British summer of al fresco dining. Many of April’s best ingredients – asparagus and Jersey Royals to name a couple – continue abundantly into May, and they’re joined by a wave of new greenery.
The humble pea often leads the charge into May as the harbinger of summer. We’re slightly inclined to take peas for granted these days, but summer peas are a beloved chef's ingredient – they provide beautiful sweetness and a bright pop of colour to a dish. Broad beans – although more plentiful later in the year – start to appear in May too, and are worth the trouble of double-podding for their delicate flavour.
British Tomato Week has evolved into British Tomato Fortnight this year, and starts officially on 20 May – have a hunt around beforehand and you’ll find decent greenhouse tomatoes, but as summer starts to find its feet, juicy outdoor varieties will become available too. Who said you can’t get good tomatoes in the UK?
Keep an eye out for crab – often at its best in May – and as a special treat, fresh almonds should be available too, although they’re often hard to find and the season is extremely short (happy hunting). For more inspiration on what to cook throughout the month, take a look at some of our favourite seasonal recipes below.