August is one of the most rewarding months to eat with the seasons. Tomatoes are at their sweetest, British plums return, and courgettes, cucumbers, beetroot and sweetcorn are all at their best. Alongside them come berries from the hedgerows, the first early apples and an abundance of fresh vegetables, making it one of the richest months of the growing calendar.
At Ben’s Farm Shop, we believe good food starts with good farming. Throughout the year, we work with local growers and trusted producers to bring the very best seasonal ingredients into our farm shops. Many also find their way into the food we make in our own kitchens, from fresh deli salads and hummus to pickles, relishes and seasonal recipes, all made using carefully sourced ingredients.
Whether you’re cooking on the barbecue, sharing supper in the garden or making the most of a weekend harvest, August is a wonderful time to keep things simple. When ingredients are picked at their peak, they don’t need much more than thoughtful cooking to let their flavour shine. Here are some of the seasonal highlights to look out for this month.
Tomatoes
By August, tomatoes have reached their peak. Fully ripened in the summer sunshine, they’re sweeter, juicier and more intensely flavoured than at any other time of year. Whether eaten fresh, slow-roasted, turned into chutneys or cooked into a rich Spanish sofrito, this is the month to make the most of them.
If you’re lucky enough to have a glut, preserve their flavour for the months ahead. Roast them to concentrate their sweetness, simmer them into rich pasta sauces, bottle them whole or make a batch of homemade chutney. Our Spanish Sofrito recipe is one of our favourite ways to capture the taste of summer in a jar, creating a versatile base for soups, stews, pasta dishes and countless other meals long after the season has ended.
Throughout the summer, we source tomatoes from Riverford Organic, Green Ginger Organics and Pips Pick Your Own, bringing a wonderful variety of beautifully ripened tomatoes into our farm shops as the season progresses.
Plums
August marks the start of the British plum season, and for us, it’s one of the highlights of the year. Victoria and Marjorie’s Seedling (Ben’s favourite) are two of the standout varieties, wonderfully juicy, full of flavour and a world away from the imported plums found on supermarket shelves for much of the year. Whether eaten fresh, roasted until sticky and caramelised, baked into tarts or gently simmered into jams and compotes, British plums offer the perfect balance of sweetness and gentle acidity. They are one of those rare seasonal pleasures that simply can’t be replicated at any other time of year.
If you’re looking for inspiration, our Roast Plum Compote recipe from Pam Corbin’s fantastic book, Pam the Jam, and our Plum Frangipane Tart are two delicious ways to make the most of the season.
Cucumbers
August is cucumber season in full swing. Sweet, crisp and wonderfully refreshing, they’re one of the simplest pleasures of summer. Slice them into salads, blend them into chilled soups or enjoy them alongside barbecued food. They’re also the star ingredient in our own Cucumber Pickle and Cucumber Burger Relish, both made here in our kitchens using organically grown cucumbers.
Aubergines
With the warmth of August, aubergines are at their best. Alongside the classic deep purple variety, look out for Graffiti aubergines, recognised by their distinctive purple and white striped skin and prized for their sweet, delicate flavour. Roast, grill or barbecue them until meltingly soft, or use them in Mediterranean favourites such as parmigiana, ratatouille and baba ganoush. Their rich, silky texture also makes them an excellent addition to curries, traybakes and pasta dishes, readily absorbing the flavours they’re cooked with. Few vegetables are as versatile in the late summer kitchen.
Beetroot
Fresh beetroot is one of the quiet stars of the August harvest. Sweet, earthy and full of flavour, it’s delicious roasted until tender, grated into salads, pickled or blended into hummus. Equally at home alongside creamy goat’s cheese and grilled meats, it’s one of the most adaptable vegetables of late summer. We source our beetroot from Riverford Organic, bringing freshly harvested roots into our farm shops throughout the season.
Courgettes, Marrows & Summer Squash
August is peak season for courgettes, marrows and summer squash. This is the time of year when they seem to appear in abundance, whether from local growers or the garden at home. Courgettes are at their most tender, while larger marrows and colourful summer squash lend themselves to roasting, stuffing, soups and traybakes. Their delicate flavour means they’ll happily take on whatever herbs, spices or cheeses you pair them with, making them one of the most useful vegetables in the late summer kitchen. We source our courgettes from Lynher Growers, bringing freshly harvested produce into our farm shops throughout the summer.
Sweetcorn
Fresh sweetcorn is one of the great pleasures of August. Picked at just the right moment, it’s naturally sweet, tender and full of flavour. Grill it over hot coals until lightly charred, serve it simply with butter, or slice the kernels into salads, salsas and summer suppers. If you’re looking for inspiration, try our Taco Esquites, a vibrant Mexican-style sweetcorn salad, or our Courgette & Sweetcorn Fritters – two delicious ways to make the most of one of late summer’s finest crops.
Figs
Towards the end of August, the first fresh figs begin to appear, marking one of the final treats of the summer harvest. Soft, honeyed and delicately sweet, they need very little to shine. Enjoy them simply with creamy cheeses, a drizzle of local honey and fresh bread, bake them into tarts or salads, or pair them with cured meats for an effortless seasonal supper.
Their season is remarkably short, making them one of those ingredients to savour while you can. Their arrival is also a gentle reminder that late summer is beginning to give way to autumn.
Also in Season
Alongside August’s highlights, look out for:
- Apples (early varieties)
- Blackberries
- Blackcurrants
- Blueberries
- Broccoli
- Carrots
- Cauliflower
- Chillies
- Damsons
- Fennel
- French Beans
- Garlic
- Greengages
- Kale
- Kohlrabi
- Lettuces
- Loganberries
- Onions
- Peaches
- Pears (early varieties)
- Peas
- Raspberries
- Redcurrants
- Rocket
- Runner Beans
- Samphire
- Sorrel
- Spinach
- Spring Onions
- Strawberries
- Swiss Chard
- Turnips
- Watercress
If you’re foraging
August is when the hedgerows begin their slow transition from summer to autumn. Blackberries start appearing in abundance, making them perfect for crumbles, pies, puddings and baking, while elderberries begin to ripen towards the end of the month and can be turned into rich cordials and syrups. Keep an eye out for the first crab apples too – far too sharp to eat raw, but excellent for adding natural pectin to homemade jams or pairing with sweeter apples in crumbles and desserts. Along the coast, samphire is still in season, delicious simply steamed with butter or served alongside fish and seafood. Rowan berries also begin to colour in the hedgerows, providing one of the first signs that autumn is just around the corner.
As always, forage responsibly, only pick what you can confidently identify and leave plenty behind for wildlife and future harvests.
At Ben’s Farm Shop, we believe good food starts with good farming. Fresh, seasonal ingredients, grown and produced with care make some of the simplest meals.