Gooseberries

Early small, green gooseberries tend to make the best pies, fools, preserves and chutneys. There are many varieties and these can be hairy or smooth and golden, yellow or pink-red. When fully ripe, the dessert varieties can be eaten raw but it's the immature fruit, which always need to be sweetened, that makes the most versatile ingredient. Cooked, topped and tailed, with sugar added, a gooseberry purée is a traditional accompaniment to mackerel but can be eaten with roast pork and other rich meats. The high pectin content makes the fruit ideal for jam making. Adding elderflowers to gooseberry recipes, especially pies, tarts and crumbles, will give a subtle, sweet scent.

Courgettes

Courgettes are baby marrows. The homegrown variety is available from June to October. They are usually green but can also be yellow. Courgettes need very little tle preparation or cooking; if they're finger-sized they can be left whole and steamed or pan-fried in a little butter. Eat them raw, whole or halved lengthways, tossed in a little olive oil, lemon juice and sea salt. As courgettes get larger, the flavour depletes and they benefit from additional flavours, such as garlic, basil, parsley, tomatoes and olive oil. Add courgettes to set omelettes, such as frittata, or to risotto and ratatouille, or slice thinly, dip in batter and deep fry them.

Broad beans

Broad beans are at their best from the end of May through to mid-July, when the pods are pale green and soft and the beans are still small. The whole young pod can be cooked and eaten, or the beans can be removed from the pod and cooked. Only brief steaming or cooking is required when broad beans are in their prime but as the season progresses, the pods get bigger and tougher and then the beans are encased in a thick outer skin. The unappetising skins need to be removed; a long and laborious job, and the beans should go into the pot straightaway. Once cooked, coat in butter and sprinkle with chopped summer savoury or tarragon and serve as an accompaniment to roast lamb or boiled gammon.

July

Blueberries

Blueberries are related to bilberries and grow in peaty soils or wherever heather grows. They are small, round, plump berries that are blue-black in colour and have a mild sweetness. Cultivation of this wild fruit means that they are readily available in markets and supermarkets to make jams, relishes, sauces, compotes and berry desserts, such as summer pudding. Some of the best-known blueberry recipes come from the US and include blueberry pie, muffins, cheesecake and pancakes.

Clams

Clams are a type of shellfish that are found in coastal waters all around the world. They come in a wide range of colours, shapes and sizes. Clam flesh is firmer than that of mussels or oysters. To prepare fresh clams, wash them in plenty of cold water to remove all sand and grit. Discard any that have broken shells or those that won't shut when lightly tapped. Smaller varieties are cooked in their shells, steamed briefly in a covered pan or added to a paella or risotto at the final stages of cooking. Larger clams, which tend to have a stronger flavour, should be baked in the oven for a couple of minutes and the flesh removed and chopped to use in soups and sauce.

Pike

Pike can grow very large, up to a weight of 18kg (40lb) or more; they have firm, white flesh and lots of small bones. Large pike are usually sold cut into steaks, small ones as whole fish. The best recipes come from France, where pike is appreciated for its flavour and texture. The flesh can be dry, though, and benefits from being steamed, poached or shallow fried. Steaks should be marinated before being fried or grilled and a small pike, baked whole, is best coated in olive oil or butter inside and out, or filled with a stuffing made from moist ingredients, such as breadcrumbs, bacon, tomatoes, leafy herbs and onion.

Aubergine

A vegetable native to the warmer climates of the Mediterranean, the aubergine was introduced to Britain about 300 years ago. There are many varieties; size, colour and shape can vary enormously. Choose aubergines that feel heavy and have unblemished skins and fleshy stalks. Although salting isn't really necessary, it helps to draw out bitterness and moisture. One of the benefits of salting and draining is that the aubergine won't soak up as much oil during cooking.

Fennel

Florence fennel looks like a bulbous celery plant and has a sweet aniseed flavour, which is stronger when eaten raw and less pronounced when cooked. The ancient Greeks, Egyptians and Romans enjoyed its finer qualities long before it was introduced to Britain from Italy in the late 17th century. Choose blemish-free bulbs that are pale green, firm and crispness indicates freshness. For those who like raw fennel, try mixing it in a green salad or shredding it with citrus fruit. Fennel is excellent for making soup or it can be poached, steamed or briefly boiled. Braising it slowly makes it sweet and tender and it is excellent served with fish and chicken.

Greengages

The greengage is a small, round, green plum with a yellow-green or golden, sweet, scented flesh. Wild greengages were possibly introduced to Britain by the Romans but, by the Middle Ages, they had disappeared from cultivation. The first cultivated greengage was brought to Britain by Sir Thomas Gage who lived in Suffolk, where growing conditions for the fruit are perfect. The green skin may not indicate sweetness but ripe greengages are mouth-watering when eaten raw and they make excellent jam or purées for pies and puddings.

Crayfish

Crayfish are the freshwater cousins of the lobster, and resemble them in all but size, being so small as to also resemble large, warrior-like prawns. The native UK crayfish (the white-clawed crayfish) has become threatened in its habitat by the introduction of the US signal crayfish to our waterways, so when sourcing your crayfish you should ensure that you're reducing the invaders' numbers and not those of the white-claw. The white-claw is a protected species, so you should never be sold them but, whether fishing with a rod or buying crayfish, the way to distinguish the signal from the native is that the underside of the signal crayfish's claws are a distinctive red.

The good news is that crayfish is delicious and at it’s best at this time of year, so why not give them an American-style send-off either in a gumbo or a jambalaya? Crayfish are generally suitable for the same treatment as large prawns or langoustines. Chef Richard Corrigan recommends boiling in salty water with a healthy dose of bronze fennel in the water for flavour, but they are just as good in risottos, soups, stews and perfect for the barbecue.

Hare

Hare is not widely available but you should be able to find it ready to cook from game butchers or on menus at more adventurous restaurants. It's similar to rabbit in texture, but not in flavour: hare has dark brown, strong gamey flesh, which is very different from the pale, mild flesh of rabbit. Best cooked when young for tender meat, it's hung for a few days and skinned; the legs and saddle make the choicest cuts. Hare is popular throughout Europe and is often domestically bred. Traditional British recipes include jugged hare and roast leg or saddle of hare. If you don't fancy cooking it at home, let a professional chef cook it for you.

Basil

There are numerous varieties of basil but, in Britain, we are more familiar with two types: sweet basil and holy basil. Holy basil is commonly used in Thai and Asian cooking and, as these cuisines have become very popular in Britain, the demand for this herb has increased. However, sweet basil is even better known, giving us a taste of the sunny south and Mediterranean climes. Its bright green, succulent and tender leaves have a spicy, sweet flavour that marries perfectly with the flavours of tomatoes, garlic, aubergines and courgettes. A well-known recipe using basil, and lots of it, is pesto, which is used as a sauce for pasta or for chicken and fish.

Evidence that ancient Egyptians enjoyed peas comes from the discovery of seeds in the tombs at Thebes. Good quality frozen peas are fine but British summertime brings fresh garden peas that are at their best blanched and coated in a little melted butter. In Italy, peas are cooked with rice or with small chunks of bacon; the French also cook peas with bacon, adding onions and chunks of carrot. Pea and ham soup is a British favourite as is serving fresh peas with duckling. Older peas tend to be less tender than young ones and are best used to make soup or purée