I’m continuing my monthly series of what’s in season each month this month with my guide to fruit and vegetables in season in July.
I’ve found having a list to hand is really handy for meal planning. And I knew it was cheaper to buy fruit and vegetables in season, but I didn’t know quite how much. Thankfully Eat Seasonably has done the maths for me and say that a basket of in-season fruit & veg can be a third cheaper than the same one bought out of season. A third! That’s a whole lot of money! It also saves a load of carbon too, eating locally produced foods, rather than foods imported in from abroad.
Cherries, curly lettuce and cucumber are at their best in July, but here’s the definitive list of fruit and vegetables in season in July in the UK. I’ve also snuck the in season herbs in again.
Try my delicious strawberry and basil scones recipethis summer!
Aah, strawberries, how I could feast upon them all day long. Sadly the strawberry season is so fleeting – coming into season at the start of June, and on the wane come mid-August. Therefore, I try and pack in as many as I can into summer! This strawberry and basil scones recipe is a great way to enjoy this summer glut!
Fresh local strawberries are so cheap and delicious right now, and my local shop packs its shelves with punnets and punnets of the things. If you go in at the right time in the evening you can come away with a punnet for just a pound.
I picked up a punnet on Sunday at such a price, and my mind immediately turned to strawberry scones. I generally have all the ingredients to hand for making scones. And scones are a fairly easy bake, without the need for any equipment (perfect if you’re cooking with toddlers too like I was!).
As I returned from the shop and was putting the key in my door I caught a glimpse of the basil growing in our window box, and thought what a great addition to a strawberry scone! Behold strawberry and basil scones!
If you’ve got some strawberries left over then I’ve got a two-for-one for you here, as I’m also sharing a tasty strawberry butter recipe that’s ready in minutes. The butter really complements the strawberry and basil scones really well so I’d very much recommend you make both if possible! If not then don’t worry, the scones are just as tasty without!
This strawberry and basil scone recipe is a light and delicious surprisingly savoury treat – the basil isn’t overpowering and adds a delicate flavour.
Prep Time10minutes
Cook Time20minutes
Total Time30minutes
Servings8slices
Ingredients
350gself-raising floursifted (plus extra for kneading)
220gunsalted butterat room temperature
60ggranulated sugar
2eggs
110mlmilk
175gfresh strawberrieshulled and roughly chopped
2tablespoonsof fresh basil – roughly chopped
1/2teaspoonsalt
Pinchof black pepper
Oats and sugar to sprinkle on top
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 200°C.
To a large bowl add your sifted flour, sugar, salt and pepper, and stir well.
Cut your butter into small cubes, add to the bowl of dry ingredients. Using your hands rub the butter in until you’ve got a coarse mix, without any large lumps of butter.
Add your strawberries and basil, and mix gently.
In a separate bowl, beat your two eggs and add the milk.
Make a well in the flour/strawberry mix and pour the egg/milk mix in. Gently mix with a large spoon until the mixture is combined.
Flour your work surface and turn your dough out on to it. Gently knead your dough a few times.
Transfer to a greaseproof paper lined baking tray and shape into a circle, about 2cm thick.
Brush with milk, and sprinkle a light dusting of oats and sugar on top.
Slice into eight sections, and place in the oven for about 20 minutes or so until golden brown. Keep an eye on it from the 15 minute mark onwards.
Toddler optional!
The basil isn’t overpowering – just enough to give the scones a little flavour, and is surprisingly savoury making it a good breakfast scone.
If you’re after a little sweetness then I made strawberry butter from the leftover strawberries, which really transforms the scones into a lightly sweetened treat!
1 pack of unsalted butter (250g) (at room temperature)
35g icing sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
90g strawberries (hulled and roughly chopped)
Directions
Using a hand mixer mix together the butter, icing sugar, and salt. It’s quite messy so go at a low speed! This could take a couple of minutes depending on how soft your butter is.
Add your strawberries, and mix again, until the strawberries are combined. Serve on the toasted strawberry and basil scones, regular scones, or toast, or however your fancy takes you.
I thought it would be fun to cut the butter into heart shapes but you can skip this step!
The butter can be frozen, and will last up to 2 months in the freezer. I’ve lost count of how many hearts I have in the freezer right now!
Enjoy your strawberry and basil scones! What are your favourite strawberry recipes?
I'm Wendy and welcome to Moral Fibres, a green lifestyle blog. I believe that sustainable living should be hip, not hippie. Here you'll find all sorts of easy hints and tips here for living a greener life that won't compromise your sense of style.
As well as the blog I've also written a book on natural cleaning - Fresh Clean Home is out now!
Want to know more? Check out the about page for more information or explore the archives using the category tabs above.
Moral Fibres is always free to read. If you want to support the site's running costs you can buy me a coffee.
Disclosure
Moral Fibres uses affiliate links, whereby if you purchase an item using a link from this site, I earn a small percentage. Any such links are denoted by *
For more information on affiliate links and advertising please see my disclosure policy.