Spring
Light, green and sharp after the winter. Asparagus, Jersey Royals, wild garlic, spring lamb and the first outdoor herbs. Menus lean towards shorter cooking and fresher dressings.
Summer
The season for eating outside. Tomatoes at their best, courgettes, stone fruit, shellfish and anything that suits a grill. This is when our BBQ and grazing formats come into their own, along with sharing-style tapas.
Autumn
Our favourite season to cook. Game, mushrooms, squash, apples, pears and the last of the outdoor tomatoes. Richer sauces start to make sense again, and slow cooking rewards the extra time.
Winter
Braises, roots, brassicas, citrus and shellfish. Winter menus should feel generous — long-cooked meats, buttery greens and a bright acidic element somewhere on the plate to stop it becoming heavy.
Buy well, do less
The single best upgrade to any home menu is better raw ingredients from a butcher, fishmonger or greengrocer, cooked simply. Our sample menus show how that plays out across a full evening.
The same thinking shapes every menu we write, whether that is a seated evening of private dining in midwinter or a summer table of Spanish small plates eaten outside.
Keep reading
Planning something of your own? Tell us the date and the number of guests and we will write a menu for it.