Eating for the season
Written for Slow Food in the UK
As the sky danced in hues of orange, purple and pink, August 26th saw the last post-8pm sunset of 2026 in the UK, which now marks the gradual return of darker evenings and the shift from summer to autumn. As autumn approaches, it’s not just the change in daylight that we notice but many things begin to change; from the way we dress, to the way we move and the things we eat. You’ll start seeing much more pumpkin spice, cinnamon and gingerbread flavours in cafes. At supermarkets squash, root vegetables and apples will be stars of the show and in plentiful supply - these are the foods of the season. Of course, you’d still be able to find a pineapple imported from Brazil or mangoes shipped from the Philippines. In this ever connected and globalised world I therefore pose the question:
Why does seasonality matter when modern food systems allow us to eat almost anything, at almost any time of year?
Seasonal foods are ones that grow and ripen during a specific part of the year. In the UK autumnal foods include: apples, figs, berries, sweet potatoes, carrots and parsnips etc. These tend to be both locally and seasonally grown (i.e. locally grown food comes from a nearby geographic area, while seasonally grown food is harvested during its natural time of year). However, in supermarkets you will find that year-round availability is the new normal; this reflects a recent change in food culture and is possible due to food imports. According to the BBSRC, the UK imports 48% of its total food consumed and relies on both imports and a thriving agricultural sector to feed itself.
As with any industry, the environmental impacts need to be considered.
Seasonal eating helps the environment by lowering carbon emissions, saving energy and protecting local ecosystems. When we eat foods that are grown seasonally, the produce is usually harvested locally or regionally which reduces the food miles. This means that we avoid the need for plenty carbon-emitting transportation such as ships, lorries and air freight that may also require the need for refrigeration. Additionally, crops gown at their natural time of year do not rely on artificial light and heated greenhouses which consumes large amounts of energy. For example, a red British tomato grown in a heated greenhouse during the depths of winter, can require considerably more energy than one grown naturally during the summer months.
But just because something is local and seasonal doesn’t instantly make it sustainable.
If we use the red tomato as an example:
Tomato A is grown in the UK during the winter so requires a heated greenhouse and substantial energy for the perfect growing environment.
Tomato B is grown in Spain during its growing season then transported to the UK via a refrigerated freight lorry.
At initial glance, tomato A may be seen as more sustainable as it’s grown locally and doesn’t travel far, but it requires large amounts of energy produced which may outweigh the emissions of transporting tomato B. We should also consider that an imported crop isn't automatically sustainable simply because it was grown in season. How it was farmed, packaged, stored and transported must be taken into consideration. Thus, when we talk about seasonal eating, it doesn’t necessarily mean only eating British foods. We must understand when foods grow naturally and how they reach our plate.
Let’s consider the flavour
There’s something to be said about eating fruits and vegetables when they’re at their best. A sweet juicy strawberry picked from a British farm during the peak of summer ignites the senses of the season within us; this is a very different tasting experience to one bought in the depths of winter after travelling thousands of miles. Seasonal produce has a sense of occasion precisely because it doesn't last forever. The first asparagus of spring, sweet peas in June or ripe beefsteak tomatoes in August become markers of time, giving us something to look forward to and reminding us that food has its own rhythm. We look forward to the rich smells, the varied textures and array colours that come and go throughout the year, displaying to us that as our lives may look the same yet there is definitely a lot of change happening around us.
How can we as the consumer eat more seasonally?
Eating for the season just means to be more aware of what should be in abundance at different times of the year. In the spring we will see foods such as asparagus, peas, broad beans; in the summer there will be courgettes, tomatoes, beans, berries; in the autumn squash, pumpkin, apples, pears will be big; for winter kale, cabbage, leeks, parsnips, swede. Discovering these foods will be pretty easy in supermarkets and local markets, so it doesn't have to be expensive finding such produce. Additionally, for the amateur chefs and cooking enthusiasts there are many recipes that utilise seasonal foods and create meals for that specific season - maybe a summer salad or a hearty autumnal soup.
One last thing to consider - What happens when the seasons themselves start changing?
Every day we are seeing the crazy impacts of climate change in our everyday lives. From extreme heatwaves to flash floods, snow in summer months and more frequent (un)natural disasters. This summer alone was the hottest on record according to the UK Met Office. We saw green spaces baked by the heat turn arid and brown, wildfires spread viciously through the countryside and a hosepipe ban to limit our water usage. Such unsteady and irregular weather conditions may cause future seasons to change and with it change the crop yielding calendar by creating unpredictable challenges. So even though, it’s ideal to be eating for the season, it’s to be acknowledged that climate change is changing the seasons and with it what we’ll be eating and when will also shift.
Perhaps eating seasonally isn't really about following a strict calendar. It's about paying attention. To the weather. To the farmer. To the soil. And to the fact that food doesn't simply appear on supermarket shelves year-round. Its availability is shaped by seasons, landscapes and people.
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