Purple sprouting broccoli has a short season, so grab it while you can. Look for ones with fresh, crisp leaves and deep purple florets – although be aware the colour will fade during cooking. Try our purple sprouting broccoli with almonds for a simple yet satisfying dish. Boil your broccoli and drizzle it with olive oil, then top it with toasted flaked almonds—a delightful addition to any roast. Alternatively, roast the broccoli alongside butternut squash and garlic for a comforting miso & butternut squash ramen, where the broccoli adds a pleasant crunch and a touch of green freshness to your bowl.
See our purple sprouting broccoli recipes for more inspiration.
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Also referred to as endive, chicory emerges as a forced crop, cultivated in absolute darkness, resulting in its uniquely blanched white leaves tinged with yellow tips. With its characteristic cigar-like shape, averaging around 12cm in length, chicory presents crisp leaves with a subtly bitter flavour profile. While chicory remains accessible throughout the year, it thrives in Britain from January to mid-March.
Sliced chicory leaves add a hint of complex bitterness to dressed salads, like our blue cheese & grape salad with caramelised pecans, but why not try something a little different? This clever use of chicory, in our chicory collins, makes a super pre-dinner cocktail.
Or, for a wonderful weekend lunch, use quick-cook polenta for the base of this chicory, sausage & black olive polenta tart.
Find more unique ideas with our chicory recipes.
Hamburg parsley
If you can find or grow it, Hamburg parsley is worth seeking out. It’s a sweet, dense root vegetable like a parsnip, but has a delicate, buttery flavour – almost like it’s trying to be a sweet potato.
Hamburg parsley orecchiette
Peel and chop 1 large or 2 small hamburg parsley roots into small chunks, then boil in salted water for 10 mins. Drain, then fry in a large non-stick pan in 15g butter and 1 tsp olive oil until golden. Meanwhile, cook 150g orecchiette pasta following pack instructions, then drain. Add the cooked pasta to the Hamburg parsley, toss to combine and season with plenty of black pepper and a little salt. Spread 4 tbsp crème fraîche over two plates and create a large well in the centre of each using a spoon. Dot over 1 chopped preserved lemon and top with the pasta mixture. Garnish with few parsley leaves, 1 tsp lumpfish roe and ½ tsp poppy seeds. Serves 2.
Spring onion is such a versatile ingredient, particularly at this time of year when the herb garden isn’t quite in full swing yet. Slice up the white and green parts separately and scatter the finely sliced green tops over the finished dish in place of herbs. They’re also brilliant whole as a vegetable in their own right, as with our spring onions & teriyaki tofu. Try our chilli corn & spring onion quesadilla for a new twist on a classic Mexican-inspired snack by adding fiery chillies, sweetcorn and a squeeze of lime.
See more inspiration with our spring onion recipes.
Unlock the culinary potential of foraged wild nettles with these creative ideas. Resembling spinach in taste, nettles offer a versatile addition to soups, pesto, pie fillings, and even as a flavourful toast topping. For a springtime spin, substitute nettles for spinach in our nettle spanakopita. With their sweet and nutritious profile, young nettles provide a delightful and cost-free alternative to spinach. Alternatively, simmer nettle leaves in stock alongside onion, carrot, leek, and potato, then blend with butter and cream to craft a velvety nettle soup, perfect for freezing and enjoying anytime.
For more ideas, don’t miss our nettle recipes.
Take a small sharp knife or kitchen scissors and cut out any tough central stems of the leaves. Don’t throw them away – use them in stocks or chop up small and use in place of celery in sofrito (a base for soups and stews).
These spring greens with lemon dressing make the most of spring greens and will add some much-needed freshness to a deep dish of cosy comfort food. Or why not use them in the cosy dish itself? Enjoy a twist on a carbonara with plenty of spring vegetables with our spring greens carbonara. Sweet peas and asparagus balance the saltiness of the pancetta and richness of the egg yolks.
Find extra ideas in this collection of spring greens recipes.
Also known as ramsons, wild garlic comes into season in late March-early April and is one of the best things to make a flavoured butter or a pesto with. For a wild garlic pesto that’s the very essence of spring, simply blitz wild garlic with olive oil and stir in a heap of finely grated parmesan, then drizzle it on everything.
Make these healthy baked new potatoes with wilted wild garlic for a twist on ordinary roasties.
Try our recipe for garlic butter, which makes a delicious spread for picnic flatbreads.
For more ideas, see our wild garlic recipes.
Browse recipes for, and information on, other ingredients in season in March:
Seasonal food dates in March:
1st March: St David’s Day
Celebrate St David’s Day on March the 1st with our Welsh-inspired recipes, from classic Welsh cakes and bara brith to modern twists on the traditional, like rarebit muffins.
10th March: Mother’s Day
Whether you’re treating Mum to breakfast in bed, baking a cake, or preparing a three-course dinner, we’ve got all the Mothering Sunday recipes you need.
17th March: St Patrick’s Day
Celebrate St Patrick’s Day with some of our favourite Irish recipes, including soda bread, Guinness chocolate puddings and Irish stew.
Other food dates for your diary:
4-10th March: British Pie Week
The first week of March is British Pie Week, a tradition that has been going on for 15 years now. Enjoy your favourite sweet and savoury pies.
Enjoyed these recipes? See more inspiration…
The best recipe boxes tried and tested
How to use wild garlic
The health benefits of broccoli
What to do with root vegetables
How to steam vegetables
Which vegetables will you be using this March? Leave a comment below…