A month that rewards attention
The British seasonal table in February has a quiet logic to it: a handful of things genuinely at their best, rather than a broad spread of merely available ones. The skill is knowing which ingredients those are and letting them lead.
Forced rhubarb
The rhubarb triangle in West Yorkshire — the stretch of land between Wakefield, Morley and Rothwell — produces forced rhubarb through the depths of winter, and February is still prime time for it. Grown in heated sheds by candlelight to keep the stalks reaching upward in the dark, forced rhubarb is a different creature from the outdoor stems that arrive later in the year. It's slender, shockingly pink, and carries a more delicate sourness than its summer counterpart.
Growers harvest it by hand in near-silence — the stalks are said to squeak and pop as they grow in the warmth. Traditionally served with custard, cream or good vanilla ice cream, it also pairs well alongside oats, which handle its sharpness effectively. Buy it now; the forced season is short.
Purple sprouting broccoli
Unlike the tightly packed heads of calabrese that fill supermarket shelves year-round, purple sprouting broccoli grows as loose, leafy stems with small florets, harvested over several weeks rather than all at once. February is when it hits its stride. Cold weather improves it — a hard frost concentrates the sugars and softens any bitterness, which is why late-winter stems taste better than the earliest ones.
Look for bright purple florets and firm stems; it wilts quickly once picked, so use it within a day or two of buying. It works well alongside strong flavours — anchovies, hard cheese, robust oils — and holds its own against things that would flatten more delicate greens.
Leeks and brassicas
British-grown leeks are at their sweetest after a period of cold, and this is as good as they get before the season winds down. They benefit from slow cooking — long enough for the layers to soften completely and the mild allium flavour to deepen.
The wider brassica family is also still going strong: Savoy cabbage, kale and January King cabbage (despite its name, it runs well into February) all remain worth buying from farm shops and market stalls. Not exciting discoveries, but reliable and genuinely good when handled with care.
The last Seville oranges, and blood oranges
Seville oranges have a famously narrow window, and by February it is closing. Intensely bitter and aromatic, with far more complexity than a sweet orange, they're grown almost exclusively in southern Spain and imported in small quantities for a few weeks in midwinter. Most people associate them with marmalade — their high pectin content and bitter pith make them the classic choice — but they're also excellent in savoury cooking wherever you want acidity and fragrance without sweetness. If you see them, buy them.
Blood oranges, imported from Sicily and Spain, run longer and are at their best through February. The red pigmentation varies from fruit to fruit, so the flesh can range from faintly streaked to deep burgundy. Their flavour differs noticeably from a navel orange: a little more complex, with a faint berry quality that makes them interesting eaten simply or squeezed.
Pancake Day and the seasonal link
Shrove Tuesday falls on a different date each year, moving with Easter, which means it can land anywhere from early February to early March — check the official site for this year's dates if you're planning ahead. Traditionally, pancakes were a way of using up eggs, fat and dairy before the Lenten fast began the following day.
Forced rhubarb makes an excellent partner for pancakes, its tartness cutting through the richness of the batter — a pairing that feels both traditional and well-reasoned.
