IN SEASON

English summers and their produce arrive soooner than they used to with May temperatures often soaring. Esther Clark makes the most of fresh strawberries, peas and cucumbers

Make the most of peas, strawberries and cucumber

Strawberries have ripened earlier in the season in recent years. You’ll see juicy English strawberries hitting the shelves in May and, if you’re lucky, growing on your veg patch. When ripe and ready to eat, strawberries should not have a green hue, they should be plump and juicy and taste slightly sweet and floral. I’ve baked mine into a warm sponge pudding with almonds and polenta for bite (p95). It has all the flavours of a Victoria sponge but with the texture of a robust cornbread. If you don’t like cooked strawberries, try tossing them in lemon juice, caster sugar and thyme (lemon thyme would be ideal) and leaving them to macerate for a few hours. These are delicious piled onto pavlovas or eaten with thick Greek yogurt.

Outdoor-grown cucumbers have a much more robust skin and knobbly texture to those we find in the supermarket. I like to preserve leftovers in the cupboard by thinly slicing and gently pickling them in vinegar with coriander seeds and dill flowers. They’re a fab way to pep up homemade burgers or fish finger sarnies. I’ve made a quick version in my recipe for lime-pickled cucumber and tandoori chicken (opposite). They pair so well with spices and chilli because they cool the palette with their fresh, clean taste.

A freshly podded pea is something

I look forward to immensely. I have fond memories of podding peas straight from the shell in my grandparents’ garden on warm evenings. Once podded, they are sweet and tasty in their raw form. I often toss them with lemon and oil, and eat them with soft cheese like a fresh goat’s cheese or burrata. They’re great with feta, too, with its sharp, salty flavour. I’ve baked my feta with chilli and fragrant preserved lemon and simply blanched the peas and tossed them in oil on page 94. They are totally delicious eaten very simply. A far cry from frozen peas.

Before becoming deputy food editor, Esther trained at Leiths School of Food & Wine, then worked as a chef in Italy. She loves to cook for friends at home, and particularly enjoys creating recipes using unusual combinations and seasonal produce. @esthermclark