Delicious UK May 2025

Hooray for May with its joyful May Day, decorated maypoles and, of course, jubilant and jangly Morris dancers. Seasonal produce abounds – proud asparagus, delicate elderflower, punchy watercress and sweet peas aplenty. Blousy peonies are back. Wisteria is a-creeping. Rhododendrons are rhododendron-ing. And in the UK we're graced with not one but TWO bank holidays. As such we're in a celebratory mood at delicious. We're cooking for crowds, making the most of our bonus time in the kitchen and hoping for the warm weather to continue for al fresco dining. I'm looking forward to hosting many a lazy brunch (check out our elegant spread on p24). It automatically feels less stressful than a dinner or lunch party and it gives an excuse for bread, butter and eggs (my three favourite…

Q You're a podcaster these days. Your show, Intoxicating History with drinks writer Henry Jeffreys, looks at the booze through the ages. What's coming up on it? A All sorts, like Roman food and drinks – which I'm fascinated by. It's nice to sort of natter away with someone who knows so much about booze. We've had some excellent guests, including the queen of the martini, Alice Lascelles. Q Talking of which, what are your favourite cocktails as the weather gets warmer? A Well, one would have to be a martini, because that's a perennial, obviously, but also, a real cliché, Pimm's. When I was growing up, my dad always had the Pimm's Vodka Cup No 6. The key to a good one is plenty of mint from the garden…

SEASON'S EATINGS PEAS I'd almost always suggest using frozen peas over fresh, unless you're picking them yourself – after as little as a day off the plant they start to lose their sweetness. If you have a fresh pea pipeline, however, they're fantastic raw, dressed with a vinaigrette. And if the barbecue is lit, throw some in a metal sieve and sort of stir-fry them over the coals for a smoky flavour. Check out Kathy Slack's pea know-how on p112 ELDERFLOWER Growing in creamy flourishes across the UK right now, elderflowers are simple to find. The easiest way to enjoy them is to drop some into a jar of sugar, then forget about them for a week or two. You'll be rewarded with elderflower-scented sugar to bake with for the…

THE FOOD HISTORY BIT In recent years we've seen burgers become cool, thanks to the smash burger (loose textured, made in a ball, then flattened on the griddle and cooked fast to create crispy bits), which took hold in the capital and is spreading across the country. The history of the burger on this isle goes way back, though. The fifth century cookbook Apicius has a recipe that heavily resembles the modern-day burger. ‘Isicia omentata’ uses minced pork, a common meat in Roman Britain, flavoured with wine, pepper and garum (a condiment made from fermented fish, like an early Worcestershire sauce). As with some premium-priced smashed varieties of today, this Roman-British ‘burger’ would have been considered a luxury, served as part of a feast. You wouldn't just grab one as…

Rather, it's a collection of essays covering a wide range of topics from the angrily political – ‘B is for bat soup’ is about the negative stereotypes still attached to Chinese food – to the more light-hearted. ‘R is for rice cooker’, for example, is a humorous excerpt from a ‘diary’ of the much-loved household gadget. Covering a smorgasbord of subjects from educational to cultural, personal to whimsical, there's something in here for everyone.…

What will food look like in the future? A new exhibition in London's Kings Cross, Taste Of Tomorrow, has an optimistic answer. Showcasing 12 innovations in agriculture and lab-developed foods, the exhibition looks at the ways in which our food production could shift towards a system that's resilient in the face of climate change and fosters a healthier, more sustainable society. The innovations include using biotechnology to lock in water so crops can survive drought while improving soil health. Meanwhile the next-generation food on show includes bacterial crops that turn waste carbon dioxide into protein, coffee made without coffee beans and upcycled flours produced from farming ‘waste’. The exhibition is small enough for you to dip your toe into these new ideas without feeling overwhelmed – and there's a shop…