Taste the Season: September

At Le Cordon Bleu London, our expert teaching chefs understand the importance of cooking with seasonal produce, having adopted it as a way of life during their successful careers. On our culinary programmes, our students are taught that using ingredients that are in season, not only greatly improve the flavour and nutritional value of their dishes, but is also much more environmentally friendly as it supports local farming.

So here you can find a quick guide to some of the delicious seasonal foods that you can look forward to this month.

September marks a very special time on the food calendar, as the end of summer and the beginning of autumn means there’s an abundant supply of fresh British seasonal food. The last of summer’s fruit and vegetables are still available, coexisting with the arrival of autumn and winter’s produce, which means there’s a wide variety of seasonal gems to choose from.

Here are a few produce that are in season in September, that you may want to experiment with this month:

Elderberries

These beautiful small purplish-black berries are practically growing everywhere come September, and as they are not grown commercially, foraging is your only option for acquiring these wild berries.
Elderberries can be used to make an array of delicious treats such as pies, jams, marmalades, jellies, syrups, wines, juices and even liqueurs! As they are quite tangy and bitter, it may be worth pairing them with other autumn fruits such as apples, pears or plums.

Goose

Goose was once one of the most seasonal British foods and was traditionally eaten on Christmas day, only being replaced with Turkey relatively recently.
Today the bird is raised by specialist producers and is widely available between September and December.
The beautiful dark meat of a goose is much richer than that of a turkey making it a more superior choice, but it has a much higher fat content, can be quite messy to cook, and can be quite tough if the bird is not young. Don’t be put off however, as you can use the drained fat from a roasted goose to make the best potatoes you’ll ever taste!

Tomatoes

The British tomato season runs from July to October which is when they taste their absolute best, having reached maturity outdoors in natural conditions and sunlight. During September we have tomatoes in abundance that are bursting with flavour and a succulent sweetness that can add a certain pizzazz to any dish.
Tomatoes are really versatile and can be used in a variety of ways. They can be used to make sauces, soups, salads, salsas, pastes and juices, and can be roasted, baked, stuffed, sundried, or enjoyed just as they are. The options are truly endless!