​Lovely recipes for seasonal summer fruit

It's a wonderful time of year if you love gardening or have your own allotment. As May progresses, things really hot up in the 'grow your own' garden, and the prospect of long summer days and an abundance of fruit and vegetables lies ahead. But already, there is plenty coming into season as the warm weather hots up and the days continue to get longer. So whether you're a fan of making your own puddings, bakes, cordials or preserves, there are endless ways to get creative in the kitchen this month.

With that in mind, dig out those glass bottles and treat yourself to some life-affirming recipes for the warmer months, whether you're thinking of filling glass bottles with jewel-coloured cordials or layering Mason jars with your own spring competes.

Which fruits are seasonal for late spring and early summer?

May is traditionally an in-between season for flowers, but there's plenty happening in the allotment. Some of the things that will come into season over the next few weeks include:

Gooseberries

Mint

Elderflowers

Nectarines

Strawberries

Rhubarb

Recipes that celebrate seasonal fruit

If you're looking for springtime recipes, you can't beat a classic rhubarb or gooseberry crumble. The great thing about a crumble is that you can tailor it to suit your tastes or the ingredients you have to hand. The basic topping can also be adjusted. This simple recipe is from BBC Good Food and it's a great 'base' for your own creations.

Step 1:

Simmer 500g of chopped rhubarb or gooseberries into a saucepan with 100g of caster sugar. If you're using rhubarb, a little splash of port really brings out the flavour. Simmer the fruit on a gentle heat for around fifteen minutes until it is soft. Add extra sugar if you need it. Note that you can also substitute a sweetener of your choice if you prefer.

Step 2:

Heat your oven to 180C for a fan, gas mark 6 or 200C for a conventional oven. Meanwhile, make the crumble topping by combining 85g of chilled butter chunks with 140g of self-raising flour. Use your fingers to make a crumbly, soft topping, and then add 50g each of chopped walnuts and light brown sugar. Again, use your hands to mix the topping.

Step 3:

Scatter the crumble topping over the fruit and bake the pudding in an oven-proof dish for around 30 minutes until it the crumble top is golden brown. Scatter the top with flaked almonds and a little extra brown sugar if you wish.

Stop 4:

Allow the crumble to cool for a few minutes before serving it with thick cream, ice cream or delicious homemade custard. Find the full recipe for the crumble and for real homemade custard here: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/rhubarb-crumble

Other ideas for simple fruit puddings

Recipes for springtime call for simplicity and light flavours. If you're short on time, why not cheat? A pre-made flan dish or sweet pastry pie crust can be filled with custard and topped with nectarine slices for a lovely quick pudding. Sliced strawberries taste wonderful served with a little sugar and fresh mint, or why not use them to make a classic sherry trifle with Madeira sponge fingers and an indulgent mascarpone custard?

Don't forget your cordials!

This is also a great time of year to make your own cordials or flavoured gins using fruit from the allotment. You'll need to stock up on your drinking bottle range, and we have a great selection here, from the classic milk-bottle-sized glass bottle to one-litre drinking bottles and swing top glass bottles.

Cordials are easy. Here's a beginner's elderflower cordial drink recipe:

Fill a glass drink bottle (https://www.waresofknutsford.co.uk/bottles/drinks-and-wine-glass-bottles/) or a corked bottle (https://www.waresofknutsford.co.uk/bottles/glass-bottles-with-corks/) with this easy drinks recipe that uses elderflowers from the garden. Wash 15 heads of elderflower and put them to one side. Fill a large pan with a litre of water, 500g caster sugar and 4 tbsps of runny honey (the best quality you can find). Bring it to a boil to dissolve the sugar and remove the mix from the heat. Grate in the zest of two lemons and add the elderflower heads so that the flowers are submerged. Squeeze in the juice of one lemon and add a second lemon in slices. Let the flowers infuse in the sugar water for 24 hours before straining the mix with a fine sieve or muslin. Store the cordial in a sterilised glass bottle and drink it diluted with fizzy water or even, dare we say it, a little Prosecco!

How will you use this season's fresh fruits and seasonal offerings from your allotment or local farmer's market this month? Let us know and tag your creations so that we can share them on our social media pages! Remember to sign up to our newsletter as well for all of the latest news, products, competitions and inspiration from the wonderful team at Wares of Knutsford!