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What’s in season now?

UK seasonal fruit & veg calendar

Find out what’s in season this month, pick a few versatile ingredients and turn them into simple, affordable meals.

Our calendar follows typical British growing and harvesting seasons, with storage tips, waste-saving ideas and recipes to help you make the most of what you buy.

Autumn market vegetables including squash, cauliflower and root vegetables
October Proper autumn cooking

What’s in season

In season in October

Proper autumn cooking

Squash, apples and pears are at their best, and leeks and kale return. Soups, curries and traybakes come back into their own.

Seasonal stars

Everything on our calendar for October (41)

At its best 19

In season 21

From store 1

What the labels mean

At its best
One of the best times of year to look for this British-grown ingredient.
In season
Typically available from British growers around this time.
From store
British produce harvested earlier and commonly stored for later use.

Growing seasons aren’t exact. Weather, variety, location and growing conditions can move harvests earlier or later.

Our picks for October

This month’s seasonal budget basket

You don’t need to buy everything that’s in season. We’ve picked a smaller basket of versatile ingredients that work well across several everyday meals and are less likely to leave you with half-used odds and ends.

Our picks consider seasonality, versatility, storage and suitability for affordable cooking. They aren’t a live ranking of the cheapest supermarket ingredients.

  1. Potatoes

    At its best

    Planning
    Keeps well
    Recipes
    Used in 3 of this month’s recipes

  2. Carrots

    At its best

    Planning
    Keeps well
    Recipes
    Used in 2 of this month’s recipes

  3. Leeks

    At its best

    Planning
    Use this week
    Recipes
    Used in 1 of this month’s recipes

  4. Kale

    At its best

    Planning
    Use this week
    Recipes
    Used in 1 of this month’s recipes

  5. Apples

    At its best

    Planning
    Keeps well
    Recipes
    Used in 1 of this month’s recipes

  6. Winter squash

    At its best

    Planning
    Keeps well
    Recipes
    Used in 2 of this month’s recipes

What can I cook?

Simple recipes for October

Six everyday recipes that use this month’s basket. Open one for ingredients for 2 or 4 people.

Leek & potato soup

Time: 35 minsServes 4

A thrifty, filling soup from two winter staples. Blend it smooth or leave it chunky.

  • One pot
  • Freezer-friendly
  • Vegetarian

From this month’s basket: Potatoes and leeks

Squash & red lentil curry

Time: 40 minsServes 4

Sweet autumn squash and lentils in a mild, warming curry.

  • Vegan
  • One pot
  • Freezer-friendly

From this month’s basket: Winter squash

Carrot & red lentil dhal

Time: 35 minsServes 4

Cheap, filling and freezer-friendly. A good home for carrots that have gone a bit bendy.

  • One pot
  • Vegan
  • Freezer-friendly

From this month’s basket: Carrots

Crispy potato & seasonal greens hash

Time: 25 minsServes 2

Leftover potatoes and whatever greens are in season, fried until crisp and topped with an egg.

  • Vegetarian
  • Great for leftovers

From this month’s basket: Potatoes and kale

Root vegetable & chickpea traybake

Time: 50 minsServes 4

Chop, toss and roast. Works with almost any winter roots you have.

  • Vegan

From this month’s basket: Potatoes, carrots and winter squash

Seasonal fruit crumble

Time: 45 minsServes 4

One topping, whatever fruit is in season. Rescues soft fruit beautifully.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan option

From this month’s basket: Apples

Plan your week

What should I use first?

Some ingredients will happily wait while others won’t. Planning your first few meals around more perishable produce can help you waste less food and money.

Use this week

Keeps well

These are general planning guides, not expiry dates. Always check the condition of your food and follow storage instructions and use-by dates where applicable.

Don’t waste it

How to store and freeze this month’s basket

Potatoes

Store Cool, dark and dry

Freeze Best blanched or cooked first

Leftover cooked potatoes make a crispy hash or potato cakes.

Carrots

Store Fridge

Freeze Best blanched or cooked first

Soft or bendy carrots are still good in dhal, soup or a traybake.

Leeks

Store Fridge

Freeze Freezes well

Clean dark-green tops can flavour stock.

Kale

Store Fridge

Freeze Best blanched or cooked first

Wilting kale is good in curry, pasta, a hash or soup. Finely slice the stalks and cook them a little longer.

Apples

Store Fridge

Freeze Best prepared or cooked first

Soft or wrinkly apples are ideal for stewing, crumble or grating into porridge.

Winter squash

Store Cool, dark and dry

Freeze Freezes well

The seeds can be cleaned and roasted. Many squash skins soften enough to eat when roasted.

14 fruit · 42 vegetables

Find a fruit or vegetable

Wondering when strawberries are in season, how to store kale or whether you can freeze carrots? Search our seasonal produce guide.

Showing all 56

Month by month

UK seasonal fruit & veg calendar

Planning ahead? Browse the year to see how British-grown fruit and vegetables change with the seasons.

  1. JanuaryDeep winter 9 at their best, 3 in season, 8 from storeLeeks, parsnips, cabbage, kale
  2. FebruaryWinter, with the first signs of spring 8 at their best, 5 in season, 8 from storePurple sprouting broccoli, leeks, kale, celeriac
  3. MarchThe hungry gap begins 4 at their best, 11 in season, 5 from storePurple sprouting broccoli, spring greens
  4. AprilHungry gap + short-season treats 5 at their best, 10 in season, 2 from storeAsparagus, rhubarb, purple sprouting broccoli, spring greens
  5. MaySpring properly arrives 9 at their best, 16 in season, 0 from storeAsparagus, rhubarb, radishes, spinach
  6. JuneEarly summer 13 at their best, 23 in season, 0 from storeStrawberries, broad beans, gooseberries, peas
  7. JulyBritish summer 24 at their best, 13 in season, 0 from storeTomatoes, courgettes, peas, raspberries
  8. AugustPeak summer abundance 23 at their best, 17 in season, 0 from storeTomatoes, sweetcorn, blackberries, runner beans
  9. SeptemberPeak abundance 24 at their best, 15 in season, 1 from storeApples, pears, tomatoes, sweetcorn
  10. OctoberProper autumn cooking 19 at their best, 21 in season, 1 from storeApples, pears, pumpkin, winter squash
  11. NovemberWarming food and produce that keeps 12 at their best, 7 in season, 3 from storeParsnips, leeks, cabbage, Brussels sprouts
  12. DecemberWinter staples, not just Christmas 9 at their best, 2 in season, 9 from storeBrussels sprouts, parsnips, cabbage, leeks

Shopping in London

Where to buy seasonal fruit and veg in London

You don’t need to shop at a farmers’ market to eat seasonally.

  • Supermarkets

    Compare loose produce with multipacks rather than assuming the bigger pack is better value. Reduced produce can be useful when you’re planning to cook it quickly.

  • Greengrocers

    Independent greengrocers can be particularly useful for loose fruit and vegetables, so you can buy the amount you actually need.

  • Street and produce markets

    Some London markets are excellent places to compare seasonal produce, particularly towards the end of the trading day, although a market isn’t automatically cheaper than a supermarket.

  • Farmers’ markets

    Useful for buying directly from producers and discovering what’s being grown locally, but again, don’t assume everything will be the cheapest option.

Meal boxes

Want someone else to do the meal planning?

Meal boxes aren’t usually the cheapest way to cook at their standard price. However, introductory discounts can sometimes make them worth comparing if you want the ingredients portioned out and the recipes planned for you.

See the meal-box offers we’ve found

Can eating seasonally save money?

Sometimes.

When a British crop is plentiful, increased supply can make it particularly good value. But seasonal doesn’t automatically mean cheapest. Weather, harvest size, supermarket promotions, imports and where you shop all affect what you actually pay.

That’s why we don’t put fixed prices on this calendar. Instead, our Budget Basket highlights seasonal ingredients that are versatile, keep reasonably well and work across inexpensive meals.

Eating with the seasons can also help vary what you cook. Summer berries, tomatoes and courgettes gradually give way to apples, squash and leeks, followed by winter roots and brassicas.

How we built our seasonal calendar

Methodology, sources and review date

Our calendar is based on typical UK growing, harvesting and storage seasons. We cross-check seasonality using established British gardening, food and agricultural sources including the National Trust, Royal Horticultural Society and Soil Association.

There isn’t a single exact date when a fruit or vegetable suddenly becomes “in season”. Weather, region, variety and growing method all affect harvest times, so our calendar should be treated as a practical guide rather than a harvest forecast.

We also distinguish between produce being harvested around that time and British crops commonly available from storage.

Our Seasonal Budget Basket is selected editorially based on seasonality, versatility, storage and suitability for inexpensive everyday cooking. It isn’t based on live supermarket prices.

Sources

Last reviewed:

Seasonal food questions

What fruit and vegetables are in season in the UK right now?

In October, British seasonal produce includes apples, pears, pumpkin, winter squash, leeks, kale, potatoes, carrots, beetroot and broccoli, and more. See the October calendar above for the full list.

Is seasonal food cheaper?

It can be, particularly when a crop is abundant, but not always. Weather, harvests, retailer promotions and where you shop all affect price. Our Budget Basket focuses on versatile seasonal ingredients rather than claiming to list the cheapest food available.

What does “from store” mean?

Some British crops are harvested earlier and stored so they remain available later in the year. Apples, potatoes and onions are common examples. We label these separately rather than suggesting they’re being freshly harvested all winter.

Why is there less British produce in March and April?

Late winter and early spring can bring the UK’s “hungry gap”. Stored winter crops are running down while many new-season crops aren’t ready yet, so naturally there’s less British produce to choose from.

Can I freeze seasonal fruit and vegetables?

Many can be frozen, although some need blanching or cooking first and others change texture after freezing. Open an ingredient in our guide for its freezing advice.

Fruit & veg guide