Everything is happening a little later than usual this year after our cold, wet March, but that extra moisture is promising us a bumper crop of juicy Summer fruit, and we are beginning to witness the transformation from Spring to Summer in the produce arriving on our stall.

Just as the first, slender shoots of wild garlic leaf herald the beginnings of Spring, the beautiful but brief blossoms of wild garlic flower are an early sign of the British Summer. Equally as edible as the leaves, wild garlic flowers make for an aesthetic and flavoursome garnish to salads at this time of the year. They also signal the move away from the leaf as we begin to concentrate on what is happening underground with this year’s still young crop of garlic and onions. The wonderfully fresh and moist ‘wet’ bulbs come into their own now before they dry out over the Summer to become the more recognisable harvest of the Autumn.

Over on the juice bar, the coming of Summer means only one thing – more juice! As the demand for soup dies down we need to get increasingly creative to showcase the best seasonal veg, and there is nothing better at the moment than our Norfolk County English asparagus. The asparagus soup has been popular, but that hasn’t stopped us trying something a little more adventurous – asparagus and mint lemonade! It’s a brilliant colour, fantastically healthy and has had plenty coming back for more.

Another star of Spring that continues into the early Summer is the Jersey Royal, and they are now coming across from the Channel Islands by the sackful. Our other favourite new potato has finally made its first appearance of the year, the Île de Ré. This French beauty is another that benefits from its maritime roots being grown exclusively on a tiny island just off the Continental Atlantic Coast. It is the most prized salad spud in French cuisine, so we are always delighted when we can lay our hands on it and bring some back to Borough Market.

Finally, it wouldn’t be right to end June’s first blog post without an update on British soft fruit, and in particular the nation’s favourite – the strawberry. We took our first delivery of the season last week as the juicier and more flavoursome fruit is just beginning to emerge. We still prefer the French Gariguettes and Mara des Bois at the moment, but that is all set to change over the coming weeks.

Let’s not get ahead of ourselves though, we have the gooseberry season to enjoy first of all. This will be the first of our deliveries this year from our old friends at the National Fruit Collection at Brogdale Farm down in Kent, as we once again get set to explore the many varieties of England’s fruits, starting with berries before moving through to the cherries, peaches, plums, apples, medlars, quinces and pears.