What's in Season in April?

St. George he was for England,
And, before he killed the dragon,
He drank a pint of English ale
Out of an English flagon.

G. K. Chesterton

St. George is the patron saint of England and the 23rd of April is the English national day. This day is also Shakespeare's birthday. Spring has arrived and this is the month when the cuckoo is heard, the frogs are laying spawn and anemones and wood sorrel are spreading a carpet of blossoms in beech woods. Late in the month, the bluebells show in their millions, the evenings are drawing out and our foods also show evidence that spring has sprung.

Spring lamb is in the shops, as is mullet. And there is the first of the home-grown asparagus, chervil, tarragon and cucumbers. The first trout of the season can legally be fished from the beginning of this month and garden rhubarb is flourishing. Since Easter often falls in this month, we can feast on eggs (chocolate as well as hen and duck eggs), hot cross buns and Simnel cake.

Chervil, a delicate herb

Chervil is a garden herb of the carrot family with feathery leaves which turn almost purple in the autumn. The whole plant has an aroma of aniseed. It is often used for salads (sometimes with tarragon) and in soups, stews and sauces.

The bulbous roots of a different plant also called chervil are eaten as a vegetable in France and Italy. Chervil is one of the most common herbs in French cookery, always to be found in the mixture of 'fines herbes' for omelettes.

Chervil is best used fresh. It can be dried but it does tend to lose quite a lot of its flavour when preserved in this way.

Mullet from Cornwall

There are two different types of this salt water fish - red and grey mullet. The red type is a striking looking fish, bright pink in colour. One variety also has two to five bright yellow bands from head to tail. Red mullet are only 1 kg (2 lb) to 1.5 kg (3 lb) in weight when fully grown. They are at their best from April to October. The flesh is firm and has a delicious but very delicate flavour, so it should be grilled or baked.

The grey mullet has a greenish back, with a silvery underside. Grey mullets reach 4.5 kg (10 lb) to 5.5 kg (12 lb) in weight when fully grown. They are caught in shoals off the Cornish coast in early summer when they are not unlike bass and are covered with large broad scales. When large they are treated as cod; small ones may be cooked in the same way as red mullet, although the flavour is not as good. The flesh is white and firm and easy to digest.

Early Cucumber

The cucumber is the fleshy fruit of the gourd family originally from northern India. Cucumbers are eaten raw, sliced thinly and served as a salad vegetable or as a n accompaniment to cold entrées, fish dishes and so on. They also make an attractive decoration.

They can be cooked in a variety of ways and are then somewhat similar to marrow, with a distinctive but delicate flavour. Braised, stuffed or made into soups are popular ways of serving cucumber.

Small varieties of cucumber, known as gherkins, are often pickled. When buying cucumbers, choose those with a firm, smooth skin.