What’s in season: March

March shows the first signs of spring and promises a new gathering of vegetables, fruits, meats and seafood. While you’ll find lots available on your supermarket shelves, keep a look out for the best seasonal ingredients for a dish that looks and tastes great.

Our top picks 

In March, we recommend you get your hands on the following ingredients:

Spring greens

Spring greens are the first cabbages of the year and are tasty and healthy. A great side, they go well with all your meats and other veggies. They can be distinguished them from other cabbages because of their fresh, loose heads. They also don’t have the hard heart found in other cabbages.

Purple sprouting broccoli

Rich in a number of nutrients, broccoli is a staple in most homes, but did you know that seasonal broccoli brings with it even more benefits? Purple sprouting broccoli is your best choice for March and is leafier and deeper in colour than your typical broccoli, with extra crunch.

Spring Lamb

Spring lamb offers the benefit of being very tender – making it ideal for one-pot meals. Although doesn’t have as much flavour as lamb later in the year, since it hasn’t had as much time to graze, it can still be combined with a range of other seasonal foods for a delicious tasting and textured dish.

Mussels

Mussels are great choices for your fish stew and also have the added benefit of being very cheap. Despite their cost, they make great additions in any ‘posh’ menu, or in special occasion meals.

Grapefruit

We love all our zesty fruits, especially the grapefruit – which is also said to be good for the waistline! Grapefruits tend to be juicier and sweeter during the spring and winter months and make a great addition to your morning breakfast or a delicious zesty cake.

Be inspired by our March menu favourites

The Bake It Yourself team has come up with whole range of sumptuous recipes, perfect for early spring. Some of our favourites include:

A succulent lamb main: One-Pan Lamb Cutlets & Sweet Potatoes

Switch the Sunday roast for this delicious dish, featuring the seasonal favourite of lamb. We particularly love the Mediterranean-feel of this one-pot meal – getting us in the mood for sunnier days. Cook in your CircoRoasting oven at 170 for 40 minutes for one-pot perfection.

A delicious fish dish: Normandy Fish Stew

If you’re a fan of more adventurous cuisine and seafood dishes, you’ll love this fish stew. It combines seasonal mussels with white fish, prawns, and a whole lot of tasty extras for something quite spectacular! Cook on the Bottom Heat setting at 180 for about 25 minutes in total.

A zesty desert: Clementine and Almond Cake

Zesty fruits taste great in March – and almonds are popular too. This cake combines the two with other delicious flavours for a treat that’s perfect for pudding. The cake can be cooked in the CircoTherm at 180 and takes 1 hour and 10 minutes to bake.

Which of our recipes will you be trying out this month? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @ModernKitchens