Seasonal eating

As a life long foodie both in my native London and Barcelona I know the importance of sourcing ingredients and shopping for food. Times have changed over the decades and the speed of life (and in many cases, the laziness) dictates that we grab our mobile to go shopping rather than our basket and bags!

For me, cooking starts with the shopping, so, as someone who cooks every day (by choice) and has a huge passion for food, it's my favourite kind of shopping. Years ago, I loved to shop in the street markets in London, there used to be many more than nowadays and one of my go to locations was Berwick Street market in the heart of Soho. I used to buy excellent produce there and also used the local butcher who offered speciality meats and game, always a treat. There were also some wonderful old school delis, which still exist today, but now they are for a luxury purchase rather than everyday items.

Of course we now have Farmer's Markets, which are in essence a replacement for the usual street market, except the costs are very high and everything is "heritage", "craft", "organic" and "ethically sourced"! I can't deny I don't enjoy wandering around Borough Market but it's definitely not where I buy my food for every day cooking.

During the many years I lived in Barcelona and when I am visiting now, my "go to" market is the wonderful La Boqueria located on Las Ramblas. It is the most famous food market in the city and despite the increasingly touristy areas within it, there are still stalls for the locals (mostly at the back entrance). I lived a mere 5 minute walk from this market so it literally was my local food place. So armed with my shopping trolley, I would go to my favourite stalls and check the quality of produce on offer. I had a stall where I bought fresh eggs, they literally only sell eggs! Then I'd get freshly made delicious burgers, another stall for poultry and game and then the fantastic deli style stalls with all kinds of local cured hams, salamis, cheeses and olives. The crowing glory was the inner circle of fish and seafood stalls where I would buy my fresh tuna steaks, I would check around first to see the best on offer and then get the fish monger to weigh an uncut piece and then cut it into slices of my choice of thickness. I would always be given a large bunch of fresh parsley free!

My shopping was seasonal in a way that it isn't now that I'm back in London. This is a great pity and I miss it very much. Whilst I appreciate we have excellent supermarkets selling a huge variety of foods that were not always available, they mostly still come in plastic packages. Also, it may be great that we can buy strawberries all year round but I still choose to only buy them when they are in season, the taste is better and I buy local as much as possible.

In Barcelona I used to identify the seasons, not by the weather but by what food was on display. My favourite season is autumn because I love the variety of squashes and wild mushrooms that fit so well with the chill in the air. Spring favourites are peas, broad beans, fresh garlic and lamb, Summer would be water melon and peaches. I still look forward to these foods at the appropriate time of year!

If I had to choose the food I miss the most, it's tomatoes - yes, you can get all manner of tomatoes at your local supermarket, cherry tomatoes, plum tomatoes, on the vine tomatoes, etc. However, in Spain, buying even the most basic tomatoes provided a juicy sweet experience whilst in the UK, the majority of tomatoes are dry, insipid and uninspiring yet expensive too!

Not only is it more common to buy seasonal food in places like Barcelona, but many local festivals revolve around a type of food. Yes, here in the UK we have yummy Hot Cross buns at Easter and of course the typical Christmas lunch, but nothing like in countries like Spain. Over there, all manner of regional holidays require the purchase of some kind of cake or bread and it's common to see locals flock to their local bakery to buy these fresh on the day and only on the day. I am always horrified when I see Hot Cross buns for sale at any other time other than Easter!!

I know we need food as fuel but it is also to create a sense of community, occasion and celebration! Imagine if we had Christmas lunch every week? The fact that it is eaten at a specific time of year and date makes it all the more special right? Eating certain foods seasonally can create this sense of excitement and enjoyment and makes us more aware of the time of year and all the things that go with it. Why not give it a try? Certainly works for me!!