Crop and Go

When you live in a city, you don’t always notice the changing seasons. Country-dwellers see spring lambs in the fields, waving corn in the summer and apples in autumn orchards. While city slickers are busy watching the latest must-see exhibition, play or gig. But visiting a restaurant with a seasonal menu is one way to reconnect with nature’s bounty – and seasonal eating offers plenty of other benefits, too.

Most importantly, in-season produce tastes better, as it’s perfectly ripe. Think how different it is tasting sweet native strawberries in July and imported ones in November, which will have been grown in another country, picked under-ripe, chilled, transported, then artificially ripened in the UK.

There’s also an environmental benefit, as eating seasonal produce grown or reared in this country means less transportation and refrigeration, saving fuel and energy.

Seasonal food can have more nutritional value, too. Many fruits and vegetables start to lose their goodness once they’re picked; levels of antioxidants, like the vitamin C in those strawberries for example, will start to decline the moment they’re harvested. In-season foods can also be a good source of the nutrition we actually need at that time of year. Tomatoes, which come into season from June onwards, are packed with carotenoids that help to protect us from sun-damage in summer.

Ready to tuck into some seasonal ingredients yet? If the answer is yes, the good news is that you don’t have to head off to a fancy country-house restaurant with a farm-to-table menu. There’s plenty of seasonal eating to be found right here in London, with chefs who devise daily, ingredient-led menus – and even some restaurants that grow their own. Read on for our pick of the crop …

Lyle's

Loads of London chefs love Lyle’s, so follow their lead to this Shoreditch spot, where talented chef James Lowe cooks up a seasonal storm. Yes, it’s got a Michelin star, but there are no white tablecloths here: it looks casual, feels relaxed, and the lovely staff don’t turn tables. Opt for the daily à la carte lunch menu or a set dinner with four courses and no choices. Either way, you’ll get to try seasonally led dishes like grilled peach with summer beans and Gloucester Old Spot pork, or cured trout with freshly picked nasturtiums and soured cream, perhaps followed by blackcurrant-leaf ice cream with blackcurrants.

Tea Building, 56 Shoreditch High Street, E1 6JJ lyleslondon.com

Marksman

This much-loved Hackney pub developed an alter ego when chef buddies Jon Rotherham and Tom Harris joined forces to take it over in 2015. Downstairs, it looks like boozy business as usual, but upstairs you’ll find a bright, modern dining room with colourful floors and ceiling, where a daily menu features the best of British seasonal produce. Plump mussels with leeks and lovage, or slow-roast pork with wild fennel and new season garlic, perhaps? Desserts are a highlight, with summer treats like Cornish strawberries with iced sorrel, alongside satisfying Sunday lunches – when you’ll be perfectly placed for a trip to nearby Colombia Road flower market, too.

254 Hackney Road, E2 7SJ marksmanpublichouse.com

Nest

The blackboards at Nest chalk up dishes like onion broth with cheesy Lincolnshire Poacher dumplings or halibut with summer peas and broad beans. To limit waste and celebrate rare British breeds, daily set menus are only based on a single type of meat – say ethically farmed Norfolk quail – which is the idea of chef Johnnie Crowe. He owns the place with his two old friends, Luke and Toby, who look after front of house and the drinks list. The trio made their name with popular supper clubs and pop-ups, and they’re regulars at foodie festivals, too. Great value for money, cosy little Nest is a hidden gem in Hackney.

177 Morning Lane, E9 6LH nestfood.co.uk

The Table Café

Originally opened in partnership with Allies and Morrison architects as a staff canteen, The Table now welcomes all-comers to its chunky communal tables. It’s usually packed for popular weekend brunch – not surprising, as Tate Modern and Borough Market are a stone’s throw away. But chef Shaun Alpine-Crabtree really shows off his seasonal credentials in his lunch and dinner plates, making use of fresh vegetables and herbs grown on an allotment beneath the Shard, in collaboration with the homeless charity St Mungo’s. Think soft chargrilled squid with a salad of crispy shallots, spring onions and herbs, or grilled aubergine with kale and cherry tomato chimichurri sauce.

83 Southwark Street, SE1 0HX thetablecafe.com

Rochelle Canteen

Sitting inside the walled garden of a former school, Rochelle Canteen is one of the prettiest places to dine in east London when the sun’s out – they’ll even lend you a straw hat if the rays are too fierce. Eat surrounded by seasonal plants, from the giant potted fig to fresh herbs, many of which will appear in the simple yet perfectly executed dishes. Margot Henderson – wife of Fergus Henderson of St John Bread and Wine fame – runs the place, and her daily dishes include vibrant pea soup with a bantam egg and mint, confit rabbit with chicory, and fennel or cherry tart. Open for lunch all week, but only serves supper from Thursday to Saturday.

Rochelle School, Arnold Circus, E2 7ES https://rochellecanteen.com/

Essence Cuisine

Curious about going vegan? If so, try this hip Shoreditch eatery that’s bang on trend, with its all-day offer of seasonal food that is officially Very Good For You. Raw food pioneer Matthew Kenney is the brains behind the entirely plant-based menu that’s meat, dairy and gluten-free. Start your day with avocado toast and an “Intense Green” juice (kale, cucumber, celery, parsley, spinach and lemon), or drop in for a super-food salad and spicy carrot sushi roll at lunchtime. Top picks from the dinner menu include zingy raw pad thai made with kelp noodles and the delicious heirloom tomato lasagne. Healthy, seasonal and tasty? Yes, really.

94 Leonard Street, EC2A 4RH essence-cuisine.com

Craft London

Stevie Parle flexed his chef muscles at Rotorino and Dock Kitchen before opening Craft – arguably saving the best for last. Craft does it all: as well as a cocktail bar, cafe and restaurant, there’s a coffee roastery, smokehouse, beehives, orchard and kitchen garden here. So almost everything you eat is grown or “crafted” on site, with the rest impeccably sourced from British producers. Try a seasonal salad, with garden leaves and Craft’s own ricotta; cured bream with a parsley crumb and spicy Kentish chilli; or Hertfordshire beef rump with heritage potatoes. Tom Dixon’s stunning design adds even more wow factor: without doubt, the seasonal star of Greenwich Peninsula.

Peninsula Square, Greenwich Peninsula, SE10 0SQ craft-london.co.uk