Eat the Seasons August

Eat the Seasons August

August

August’s hot days and balmy evenings make it the perfect month for eating alfresco – in fact, it positively encourages us to do so, with Afternoon Tea Week, a summer Bank Holiday weekend, National Burger Day and even an official Eat Outside Day (August 31) all happening this month.

Seasonal produce to feast on includes glossy aubergines, juicy tomatoes and courgettes, plump lobsters and scallops, and summer berries.

For us, warm corn on the cob, rolled in melted butter and sprinkled with flakes of sea salt and black pepper is one of the joys of summer.

In season until October, sweetcorn can either be picked or bought straight from the shelf at Hollam Nurseries in Titchfield.

The family farm is just one of the many brilliant places on our patch that offer the freshest fruit and veg to those of us who don’t grow our own – from pick your own to direct door deliveries.

A bespoke delivery service is on offer at Titchfield-based Boxxfresh, and from The Fruit Basket in Stubbington, where you can also shop in store.

Both these traders also have the freshest salad leaves – perfect to accompany a juicy, barbecued burger on National Burger Day (August 27).

Make your own traditional burger patties with minced beef from your local butcher, or opt for something a little different with the homemade Tennessee Smokehouse burgers from Dave’s Family Butchers in Fareham. Top with crispy onions and crumbled cheese – choose from more than 70 varieties at the cheese deli at Garsons Titchfield.

For Afternoon Tea Week (August 8-14), whip up a few homemade scones and serve with clotted cream and fresh strawberries from your local pick-your-own, or why not pop into one of our fantastic cafés and treat yourself to a cream tea?

Cackleberrys in Fareham’s West Street serves up delicious sweet and savoury afternoon teas, or push the boat out at Becketts at The Mansion Coldeast, where high tea includes freshly cut sandwiches, buttermilk scones with jam and clotted cream, and a selection of fabulous cakes and pastries.

Meat 

Rabbit, lamb, beef, wood pigeon, venison

Fruit

Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, plums, early apples

Vegetables

Aubergines, beetroot, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, courgettes, cucumber, fennel, French beans, lettuce and salad leaves, potatoes, peas, peppers, tomatoes, spring onions, sweetcorn

Fish

Coley, crab, haddock, halibut, langoustine, plaice, pollock, prawns, rainbow trout, shrimp, whelks and wild salmon.

Recipe for the month

Pan fries Dover Sole with smashed coriander butter new potatoes and corn on the cob

Ingredients

4 Dover Sole fillets

12-16 small/medium new potatoes, unpeeled

4 corns on the cob

75g soft butter

4 tablespoons of flour – for dredging

You can swap this with rice flour for a gluten-free version!

Small bunch of coriander, chopped

1 small red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

Sea salt

Black pepper

4 slices of lemon to serve

Method:

Start by mashing your butter, coriander, chilli, garlic and a good pinch of sea salt with a fork. Beat until smooth and set aside.

Next, dredge your Dover Sole fillets in flour. Season with salt and pepper and also set aside.

You can then wrap each corn cob in a double layer of foil. Pop them onto your barbecue for 30-35 mins until tender and a little charred, making sure you turn regularly.

Arrange your potatoes onto a baking sheet before crushing each one lightly with a potato masher. Then pop the butter over the potatoes and mix them about so the butter melts and covers each one.

Then put them in the oven to bake for 20 minutes until crispy.

Now’s the time to take your corn off the BBQ. They should be soft and juicy, but if you want them more blackened, unwrap and throw them directly on the barbecue for a few more minutes to add a smoky flavour.

Finally, heat 2 or 3 tablespoons of butter in a large skillet over medium heat, until melted. Quickly fry your Dover Sole for 3-4 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of your fillets, until golden all over.

When your fish is done, take out your potatoes and grab your corn off the BBQ. Pile everything onto a plate and smother the fish with any leftover coriander butter. Add your lemon wedges and serve.

We’d recommend offering any guests napkins – the oozy butter is sure to dribble down a few chins!