What's in season in January

Okay, so January isn't renowned for being a great time of year for seasonal produce, but here is a quick take on what is about at this time of year...


Game

January is the last good month for game. Although we have waved goodbye to grouse for another year, pheasant, partridge and mallard are in season until the end of the month. Less common varieties of game such as snipe, woodcock and teal are also still in season. There should also be lots of venison around. Get some in while you can.

Vegetables

We really are well into the time of year for brassicas and root veg, so if you overdid the parsnips and sprouts over Christmas you'll just have to grin and bear it for a while longer! On the brassica front, apart from cabbages and sprouts, curly kale and cavolo nero are good at this time of year. Leeks are also good, and make a great addition to wintery stews. It is not the best time of year for salads, but English watercress is usually available, and there are some decent chicories from southern Europe to be found. Cicoria di Treviso is a particular favourite of mine, which is blanched in spring water and has a particularly good clean, crisp taste.

Fruit

Citrus fruit are where it is at in January. Blood oranges should be available for most of the month. Bitter Seville oranges usually appear in January, which are traditionally used to make marmalade. They can also be used in baking. I often find that satsumas aren't quite as good in January as they were in December, but clementines are at their peak. There are also some great lemons around, usually from southern Italy.