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Recipes built around UK home-grown produce. Preserves, soups, sauces, baking and staples that turn an allotment harvest into proper kitchen food.

UK seasons Plain advice Free to read

Every recipe starts with something you can grow in a UK garden or allotment, with swaps for what you have and a link back to the growing guide.

Glass jar of deep ruby sloe gin with dark blue sloes inside, next to a bowl of freshly picked sloes on a wooden kitchen table

Drinks In season

Sloe Gin Recipe

An easy sloe gin recipe for the UK. When to pick sloes, how to tell them from lookalikes, how long to steep, and what to do with the leftover sloes.

At least 8 weeks · about 900ml, roughly 30 small glasses

Fruit Leather: All-Fruit Roll-Up Recipe UK

Preserves In season

Fruit Leather

Make fruit leather from garden fruit puree, using a low oven or dehydrator, with preparation, drying, cutting and storage advice for reliable results.

7-10 hours · makes 1 large sheet (about 20 strips)

Homemade UK mint sauce in a small glass jar with chopped fresh mint leaves suspended in vinegar and sugar, fresh mint sprigs nearby on a wooden kitchen worktop

Sauces In season

Homemade Mint Sauce

Homemade UK mint sauce with fresh garden mint, vinegar and sugar. Ready in 5 minutes, keeps 4 weeks. The traditional British Sunday roast lamb pairing.

5 minutes · serves 8 (1 small jar, 200ml)

Apple chutney in glass Kilner jars next to fresh garden Bramley apples and warming spices in a UK autumn kitchen

Preserves In season

Apple Chutney Recipe

Apple chutney recipe for UK autumn windfalls. Uses 1.5kg apples in 90 minutes, makes 6 jars, the classic British preserve for cheese and cold cuts.

2 hours plus 4 weeks maturing · makes 6 x 250ml jars

Beetroot chutney in glass Kilner jars with fresh garden beetroot apples and warming spices on a UK kitchen worktop

Preserves In season

Beetroot Chutney Recipe

Beetroot chutney recipe with garden beetroot, apples, onions and warming spices. Makes 6 jars, sets in 4 weeks, perfect with cheese and cold cuts.

2 hours plus 4 weeks maturing · makes 6 x 250ml jars

Green tomato chutney in glass Kilner jars next to fresh unripe garden tomatoes onions and apples in a UK autumn kitchen

Preserves In season

Green Tomato Chutney

Green tomato chutney recipe for UK autumn. Uses 1.5kg unripe tomatoes from the October vine, 6 jars, matures 6 weeks for the classic British chutney.

2 hours plus 6 weeks maturing · makes 6 x 250ml jars

Pickled onions in glass Kilner jars next to fresh garden shallots and warming spices on a UK kitchen worktop in autumn

Preserves In season

Pickled Onions for Christmas

Pickled onions recipe for UK Christmas. 1kg shallots in spiced malt vinegar, makes 4 jars, matures 6 weeks in time for the festive ploughman's lunch.

1 hour 5 minutes plus 24 hours brining and 6 weeks maturing · makes 4 x 500ml jars

Bowl of UK homemade potato soup with garden chives and crusty bread on a wooden kitchen worktop in autumn

Soups In season

Potato Soup

Potato soup recipe with garden potatoes, leeks, and chives. UK comfort classic in 35 minutes, 4 portions, freezer-friendly with seasonal variations.

35 minutes · serves 4

Victoria plum jam in glass Kilner jars next to fresh garden Victoria plums and lemons on a UK kitchen worktop in late summer

Preserves In season

Victoria Plum Jam

Victoria plum jam recipe with garden plums and lemon juice. Six jars in 90 minutes, sets without commercial pectin, the classic UK summer preserve.

1 hour 15 minutes · makes 6 x 250ml jars

British asparagus tart on a wooden board with golden puff pastry green asparagus spears Parmesan and ricotta filling, fresh asparagus bunch nearby

Mains

British Asparagus Tart

British asparagus tart with puff pastry, ricotta and Parmesan. Ready in 35 minutes from May to June asparagus season. Serves 4 as a light lunch.

35 minutes · serves 4 as a light lunch

UK pea and mint soup in a rustic ceramic bowl with vibrant bright green colour swirl of cream and fresh mint leaves garnish, podded peas and mint sprigs on a wooden table

Soups

Pea and Mint Soup

Bright green pea and mint soup with fresh garden peas. Ready in 20 minutes, serves 4 as a starter or light lunch. Peak May to July in UK gardens.

20 minutes · serves 4 as a starter or light lunch

Homemade UK rhubarb gin steeping in a tall glass demijohn jar with pink rhubarb stalks visible inside the rosy liquid, fresh rhubarb stalks and lemon nearby on a kitchen worktop

Drinks

Rhubarb Gin

Homemade UK rhubarb gin with fresh forced or garden rhubarb. Steeps for 6 weeks, makes 700ml of pink gin perfect for summer Pimm's and tonic.

6 weeks 2 days · serves 23 (700ml gin, 30ml per measure)

Jar of homemade UK wild garlic pesto with vibrant green colour, foraged wild garlic leaves and white star flowers nearby on a wooden kitchen worktop

Sauces

Wild Garlic Pesto

Wild garlic pesto recipe with foraged Allium ursinum leaves. Makes 250g in 10 minutes, freezes 6 months, captures the UK May woodland in a jar.

10 minutes · makes 250g pesto (8 servings stirred through pasta)

Bowl of UK courgette glut soup with garden basil and Parmesan on a wooden table next to a bowl of fresh summer courgettes

Soups

Courgette Glut Soup

Courgette glut soup recipe for UK gardens. Uses 1.5kg of summer courgettes in 35 minutes, freezes 4 months, the answer to August veg overload.

35 minutes · serves 6

Bottle of homemade UK elderflower cordial next to fresh foraged elderflower heads and lemons on a wooden kitchen worktop

Drinks

Elderflower Cordial

Elderflower cordial recipe with foraged or garden elderflowers. Makes 1.5 litres in 24 hours, freezes 6 months, captures the UK June scent in a bottle.

24 hours 30 minutes · makes 1.5 litres concentrate (45 servings diluted)

Homemade garden herb pesto in glass jars with fresh basil parsley and rocket on a wooden chopping board UK kitchen

Sauces

Garden Herb Pesto

Garden herb pesto with home-grown basil, parsley, rocket or wild garlic. Four UK variations in 10 minutes, freezes 3 months, the summer staple.

10 minutes · makes 250ml (dresses 500g pasta)

Homemade bolognese ragu sauce simmering in cast iron casserole with garden tomatoes carrots and herbs UK kitchen

Sauces

Homemade Bolognese Sauce

Homemade bolognese sauce made with garden tomatoes, carrots, onion and herbs. Slow-cooked 3-hour ragu, freezer-friendly, the proper Italian method.

3 hours 30 minutes · serves 8

Homemade UK cottage cheese fresh curds in muslin lined sieve with garden chives and lemon on a wooden kitchen worktop

Staples

Homemade Cottage Cheese

Make homemade cottage cheese (curd cheese) with two ingredients in 90 minutes. Garden herb variations, storage and the lemon-acid method that works.

1 hour 30 minutes · serves 4 (250g cheese)

Rhubarb crumble in a ceramic baking dish with golden oat topping next to garden rhubarb stalks and custard jug UK kitchen

Baking

Rhubarb Crumble

Rhubarb crumble recipe with garden rhubarb, oat-and-butter topping. The classic UK spring pudding in 50 minutes, serves 6, freezes for 3 months.

50 minutes · serves 6