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?

Simply click on an image opposite to find out more.

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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Asparagus

One of the biggest thrills of summer and a true sign that the warmer weather has arrived is the emergence of the first asparagus shoots.

The season is tantalizingly brief but the quality is exceptional, with aspargus producing a flavour that is both sweet and earthy.

Traditionally matched with hollandaise sauce, asparagus requires minimal messing with. It tastes fantastic simply steamed until bright green and tender

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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.

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Blackberries

Juicy, sweet, deep purple fruits, the blackberry season spans from the end of summer right through to the beginning of autumn.

During July enjoy blackberries served simply with a little sugar and a lot of cream. Famously paired with apples, try baking with bramley in a multitude of warm desserts – in a crumbly sugar topped pie, under an almond scented cobbler or scattered into a dense loaf cake.

Alternatively, whizz into a thick breakfast smoothie with yoghurt, oats and banana.

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Blackcurrants

These dark, summer berries grow in clusters on woody stalks. Blackcurrents are great to use in pies and puddings or to make in your own jam due to their slightly acidic, tangy flavour.

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Blueberries

Widely considered a superfood, this sweet, juicy berry is ideal for summer breakfasts - sprinkled over muesli, served with thick yoghurt or whizzed with bananas into a smoothie.

Blueberries are excellent for baking as they explode within the muffin or cake mix while being cooked, spreading the flavour.

They are also great in cold summer desserts place them on top of 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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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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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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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.

Courgettes make delicious fritters - cut them into batons, dip in batter, fry, then eat piping hot with a sweet chill sauce for a tasty starter or snack.

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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. For a more comforting dish, pair cucumber with bacon or ham and onion to make a great soup that can be served hot or cold.

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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Gooseberries

Juicy, and full-flavoured - the gooseberry season starts with green gooseberries.

As summer progresses gooseberries ripen and become sweet enough to be eaten raw - add these into a summer fruit salad for a delicious summery dessert

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Jersey Royals

These fresh new potatoes are grown exclusively on Jersey and benefit from the local climate and carefully nurtured soil. With a delicate flesh and distinctive flavour, Jersey Royals are the perfect summer spud.

Traditionally, Jersey Royals are delicious when steamed and served with butter and herbs - or for a unique twist try them with fried bacon, parmesan shavings and chopped olives.

With the weather getting warmer and the time for BBQs just around the corner - why not make a tasty barbecue salad? Steam the potatoes until tender, toss in some olive oil and skewer them, then simply barbecue until crisp.

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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. Sweet romaine hearts are essential for creating favourite summer salads - why not make a delicious Caesar salad with a creamy dressing, crumbly parmesan and juicy chicken breast

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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. Peas are also good crushed into new potatoes, and added to creamy risotto and pasta dishes. If your entertaining friends blitz your peas into a wonderful pea guacamole and serve with crunchy tortilla crisps.

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Pepper

Colourful and versatile, peppers are perfect served raw in summer salads and great on the barbecue with fish and chicken kebabs.

For a roast vegetable side, chop the peppers into chunks, and roast with courgette, aubergine and red onion. For summer BBQ's blitz roasted red peppers with tomatoes into a light, tangy soup, or blend into a creamy dip with houmous or cream cheese.

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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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Redcurrants

Bright and colourful redcurrants are usually sold on their stalks. For a summer treat serve them with fresh fruit or cook them within a delicious summer pudding.

Traditionally redcurrants make an excellent jelly served alongside lamb.

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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.

Versatile and tasty, spinach combines well with other ingredients such as cream, cheese and eggs.

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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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Sweetheart Cabbage

With its crisp texture and wonderful bright green leaves sweetheart cabbage is a real chef's favourite.

Packed full of moisture this cabbage can be enjoyed in many ways, boiled, steamed or stir fried. It lends itself to being left as a side dish or shredded and stir fried in butter with a couple of twists of black pepper.

For a quick meal stir fry them with garlic, ginger and chilli.

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Tenderstem Broccoli

Tenderstem broccoli has a sweet, mild, distinctive flavour and a succulent texture more akin to asparagus than traditional broccoli.

As the name suggests, Tenderstem broccoli is tender from floret to stem so you can eat the whole vegetable. Delicious steamed and served with garlic butter, or stir fried with ginger and chilli.

For a true taste of summer try drizzling them in olive oil and grilling on the barbecue, finished with a tangy dressing and crumbled cheese.

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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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White Cabbage

White cabbage is a crisp and crunchy variety of cabbage, with a sweet mild flavour that is perfect served raw in salads.

Also good shredded and quickly boiled or steamed as a side vegetable and served with black pepper and butter

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