GET A FOOD CALEDNAR:
There are lots of seasonable food calendars available. Here is a small selection:
- Download a free seasonal food calendar or order a pocket foldable version from St Albans Council by emailing sustainability@stalbans.gov.uk (you could ask for a batch for your organisation),
- Love British Food,
- BBC Good Food (this one allows you to click through to recipes featuring that ingredient).
SHOP SEASONALLY
Read our blog: “How to eat seasonally for the climate and your health“
Listen to this special #CountdownToCOP Radio Verulam podcast talking about Eating Seasonal Food
You can find seasonal veg locally in farm shops such as Carpenters and Smallford. Some produce is seasonal at the St Albans and Harpenden farmers markets.
Veg boxes are another alternative. Some specialise in local food, others in organic food, and others on ‘waste’ food so check the details and think about what matters most to you. For example, you could try:
- St Albans based Box Local offer produce grown in Hertfordshire,
- Odd Box offer fruit and veg which do not meet supermarket standards but are perfectly edible,
- Riverford offers organic boxes and has seasonal options,
- Abel & Cole offers organic boxes, and one is an all British option.
In the supermarket, look for the Red Tractor logo for UK produce.
FIND RECIPES:
A quick google for “seasonal UK recipes” will find you lots of options. For example:
- Try the BBC Good Food seasonal recipe collections,
- Find vegetarian seasonal recipes on the Flexitarian,
There are many seasonal cook books, such as Anna Jones’ “The Modern Cook’s Year“, some specialising in soups, salads, and vegan food.
GROW YOUR OWN:
There are schemes around St Albans where you can pitch in and have a share in the spoils such as Food Smiles (where you can decide how much you pay and / or work for your seasonal produce) as well as community growing schemes like Grow Community Sopwell, St Michaels or Bernards Heath and Incredible Edible.
If you think you might progress to your own allotment then get your name on a waiting list for one near to your home:
- St Albans allotments and Highfield Park
- Harpenden allotments
- Redbourn allotments
- Wheathampstead allotments
- London Colney allotments
Our open food gardens are a great place to start where you can see what’s possible in all sorts of spaces.
COMMIT: Sign up to Count Us In today, and make changes that matter.
When you register, tick to say you are part of the St Albans Climate Action Network, and then your steps will be counted alongside other local people.
Eating more seasonal food is one of the 16 highest impact steps you can take.