The arrival of summer sees a whole host of fantastic fruit and vegetables come into their own.
Ranging from summery strawberries to tasty tomatoes, there is something for everybody in the family to enjoy.
Want to find the keys behind many of your favourite summer dishes?
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Apricot
Smooth and sweet with a musky perfumed flavour. Put apricots inside a good old-fashioned shortcrust pastry pie and serve with a lashing of cream.
Alternatively simmer with honey and serve with warm ice cream or cold as a compote with flapjacks. Apricots are also great brushed with butter and grilled or whizzed up as a sauce to serve with chicken pieces or lamb chops.
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Aubergine
Silky textured, glossy and elegant, aubergines are the perfect partner for tomatoes, garlic and olive oil, and give other vegetables and meats a rustic, Mediterranean twist.
Aubergines are well known for featuring in classic dishes such as ratatouille and moussaka, but they are also good simply brushed with oil and grilled.
Prized for their meatiness and ability to soak up other flavours well (especially spices), aubergines are fantastic within a speedy vegetarian curry – cube and stir-fry with garlic, chilli and cumin, then toss with ready-cooked chickpeas and spinach.
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Beetroot
Its sweet earthy flavour and velvety smooth texture make beetroot a key ingredient in many fabulous salads. Toss with goats cheese, toasted walnuts, and sliced pears for a delicious lunch; combine wedges with dressed summer lettuce, chopped spring onions and slices of warm chicken breast or steak.
Fancy a BBQ? For a tasty relish serve with grilled mackerel or juicy burgers. For fabulous gooey chocolate cakes and brownies, add pureed cooked beetroot to the batter before baking.
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Blueberries
Widely considered a superfood, this sweet, juicy berry is ideal for summer breakfasts - sprinkled over muesli, or served with thick yoghurt.
Blueberries are excellent for baking - in cakes, pancakes, pies and tarts, and are particularly good in muffins, as they explode within the muffin mix while being cooked, spreading the flavour.
They are also great in cold summer desserts, why not put them on top a rich vanilla cheesecake or use in place of strawberries with crushed meringues and cream in a twist on Eton Mess.
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Broadbeans
The broad bean season starts in May, when the beans are small and both the beans and pods can be eaten whole. The smaller the bean – the tastier they are.
The broad bean is a versatile vegetable that tastes great in risottos and pilaffs, soups and salads. Puree into a creamy houmous, toss with bacon for a tasty warm salad or bake with eggs and cheese to make a delicious rich savoury tart.
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Broccoli
Nutrient-packed broccoli is more than just a mere health food. Steamed, blanched, sautéed, or even braised, broccoli makes healthy eating easy.
Try stir frying some florets with cashews and garlic, or for a more hearty meal simmer them with onions and potatoes for a warming soup, or even add some florets into a pasta along with pesto and toasted pine nuts.
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Carrots
Steamed, boiled, roasted, stir-fried, braised – versatile carrots have many different flavours depending on how they are prepared. Used in both sweet and savoury dishes, carrots can be enjoyed raw in salads for crunch, or provide a melt-in-the-mouth sweetness giving depth to slow cooked meat dishes.
We love sweet and intensely flavoured Chantaney carrots. No need to peel, just wash and slice off the tops. Toss whole carrots in seasoned olive oil then roast or add to a succulent beef and red wine casserole. Serve raw with a minty yogurt and garlic dip or quickly steam then stir in harissa, olive oil, lemon juice and fresh coriander to serve with grilled lamb.
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Cauliflower
With a mildly sweet, almost nutty flavour, crisp and fresh flavored cauliflower is a versatile seasonal favourite.
Excellent when lightly steamed, roasted or stir-fried, its receptiveness to spicier flavours like cumin, turmeric, chilli and ginger renders it invaluable in many Indian dishes.
For a delicious thick and creamy soup, puree cooked cauliflower with vegetable stock and milk and stir in handfuls of your favourite blue cheese.
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Celery
With its crunchy texture and distinctive flavour, celery makes a great addition to salads, stir fries, stews and soups.
The darker the celery’s colour, the stronger it’s flavour will be. The outside stalks are usually tougher, and better used for cooking than the tender inner stalks that are best eaten raw in salads. In the UK we eat more than 120 million celery sticks per year!
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Cherries
With their vibrant red colour, succulent, juicy texture and sweet flavour, it would be criminal to not make the most of the fleetingly short cherry season.
Famously paired with chocolate, poach in dessert wine for a sauce to serve with a gooey chocolate pudding.
Alternatively, stone, halve and add to a summer salad with grilled duck or chicken breast, peppery watercress and a balsamic mustard dressing.
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Courgette
A smooth, waxy vegetable with a fresh, mild delicate flavour, courgettes are great in stir-fries, pasta dishes or simply served as a side dish, sautéed in butter or olive oil and fresh herbs.
Cut them into chunks and steam, or slice then lightly fry, before mixing with chopped tomatoes and a sprinkling of herbs. Simply delicious roasted with peppers, tomatoes, and a drizzle of pesto, or grilled and served with parmesan shavings and toasted pine nuts.
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Cucumber
Clean, crisp, mild and refreshing, cucumber is usually served raw. However, once the seeds are removed, it’s also good cooked.
It's a great addition to stir-fries or roasts, in particular when sautéed with mint to accompany roast lamb.
To enjoy the warmer weather, why not blend your cucumbers and serve as a dip with juicy homemade lamb burgers?
Cucumber can also be surprisingly good in desserts too - try adding it to a sorbet of lime and mint.
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Fennel
A truly underated summer vegetable - fennel can be added to salads with apple and celery. It can also be served as an accompaniment to fish dishes and the green leaves can be used in soups or to garnish to add a bit of bite to your meal.
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Lettuce
Adding colour and crunch to the salad bowl, lettuce leaves are best when as young and fresh as possible.
Summer lettuces are packed with flavour, and crunchy little gem, crisp iceberg and sweet romaine hearts make delicious bases to main course salads.
For a salad packed with flavour toss Little Gem lettuce hearts with a dressing of walnut oil and chopped hazelnuts or combine with sliced avocado, parmesan shavings and balsamic dressing. Why not make a delicious Caesar salad with a creamy dressing, crumbly parmesan and juicy chicken breast?
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Main Crop Potatoes
The varieties of main crop that are suitable for most cooking methods such as boiling, baking, roasting, chipping and mashing are King Edwards, Maris Piper and Desiree. Other main crop varieties include Marfona, Estima, and these red varieties - Celine, Claret and Mozart.
Potatoes are starchy foods that should make up around 1/3 of our diet as they are a source of energy and fibre and they also provide a source of vitamin C. Leave the skins on where possible, to keep in more of the fibre and vitamins.
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Marrows
A true summer vegetable, the marrow is a delicious summer squash packed with goodness.
Three heaped tablespoons provides 1 of your 5-a-day. The perfect vegetable to accompany any meal, marrows can be baked and stuffed. For a meal with a twist stuff them with meat, vegetables and rice.
Marrows can also be peeled and fried. For a lighter dish combine with goat's cheese and peppers to make some vegetable cakes.
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Pak Choi
A native of China, these leafy greens are similar to spring greens. They have a sweet flavour and crisp texture.
Pak choi is delicious stir fried with noodles and other Asian vegetables but can also be added to soups or wrapped around fish.
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Peas
The first peas of the summer are so ripe that when cooking they need nothing more than boiling water with a sprig of fresh mint and a knob of butter.
Peas make a wonderful summery soup – for an alternative flavour try adding basil instead of the usual mint.
If you are entertaining friends blitz your peas into a wonderful pea guacamole and serve with crunchy tortilla crisps.
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Radish
Juicy, crunchy and crisp, radishes add some vibrant colour and fiery flavour to your spring dishes.
Radishes are fantastic in salads, especially when served with butter and sea salt. Radishes can be eaten raw, braised, roasted, sautéed or stir fried.
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Raspberries
One of the great treasures of the British summer, these delicate, juicy fruits are delicious enjoyed on their own, or with a dusting of icing sugar and cream.
Equally they can be made into a tasty sauce to go with ice cream or in a traditional peach melba. For a divine treat, fill a sponge cake generously with whipped cream and fresh raspberries, brush the top of the cake with melted seedless raspberry jam and arrange more raspberries on top.
For a speedy 'sorbet', blend frozen raspberries and icing sugar in a food processor and serve immediately.
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Rocket
A strong, peppery leaf with jagged-edged indented leaves and a pleasant bite, a little goes a long way with this vegetable!
A fabulous ingredient to base warm salads; mix together a salad with sautéed red onions, pancetta and pine nuts. For an Asian inspired meal why not try a seared steak salad with lime juice, chilli, mint and coriander.
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Spinach
Tender spinach leaves add freshness to summer cooking.The best way to cook your spinach is to use quick cooking methods to retain maximum freshness and flavour.
For a fuller flavour try adding a few toasted pine nuts and a sprinkling of raisins at the last minute to curries, risottos and creamy pasta dishes.
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Spring Onions
When cooking spring onions, both the long, slender green tops and the small white bulb are edible. These can be eaten either raw or cooked.
If you decide to eat them raw, they add both heat and crispness to a salad. When cooked, they are fabulous in a stir fry with chillies, ginger and garlic.
In the warmer weather, spring onions can also be grilled or barbecued. Simply place them on the grill for ten minutes until the bulbs turn black and the stems soften.
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Strawberries
Naturally high in vitamin C and bursting with sweetness, nothing sums up the British summertime quite like succulent strawberries.
Whether dressed up in delicious desserts or just served simply with a dollop of cream, they’re the perfect sweet fix for a sunny day.
Slice into your favourite cereal or yoghurt for a breakfast treat, or soften on the barbecue with marshmallows then dip in melted chocolate for a dreamy dessert. A dash of port or a drizzle of balsamic vinegar works wonders too.
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Tomatoes
British grown tomatoes are at their finest with a rich flavour, sweet scent and firm texture. Try thinly slicing vine tomatoes and layer with fresh basil onto a toasted ciabatta drizzled with some olive oil.
Tomatoes are one of the most versatile ingredients, ideal for cool summer soups, spicy salsas and fresh pasta sauces.
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Watercress
These delicious and nutritious leaves add a peppery edge to green salads and are brimming with vitamins and minerals.
Not many people know this but adding a handful of watercress to any salad or stir-fry gives the whole flavour of the dish a lift. Alternatively, blitz your watercress into a soup, or stir through pasta for some added bite.
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