You may never have thought of eating seasonally – that is, eating produce that’s grown locally and only available at certain times in the year. You may think that as long as your favourite food is available in the shops year-round, you’re going to buy it year-round. Fair enough, nothing wrong with that.

But there are some really good things that come from eating seasonally. Who knows, once you try it, you may never go back.

What are the benefits of seasonal eating?

So, let’s take a look at some of the things that make seasonal eating so beneficial…

When food’s in season, it tastes great.

Great taste – eating food which has been grown in season tastes better. It’s had the right amount of time to ripen, and is picked when it’s ready – keeping all those fresh flavours intact.

Seasonal food is highly nutritious

Food that’s picked when it’s at its freshest is generally more nutritious, with all those important vitamins and minerals retained.

You get to try different things

When you restrict yourself to food that’s in-season, you may try – and enjoy – foods that you might otherwise not have thought of. That, in turn, will make you more creative in the kitchen.

Seasonal food has a higher chance of being pesticide-free

The chances are food grown out of season will have needed some kind of pesticide or preservative to keep it looking good. Buy it in season, and the chances are it won’t have done.

Seasonal produce helps reduce food miles

If you’re buying locally-grown produce in-season, it won’t need to be flown over from wherever when it’s out of season – and that helps the environment.

When are certain foods in season?

Some foods are always in-season. Things like bananas, most meats, cabbage, onions and pomegranates.

Some foods are available in specific seasons – like cranberries, clementines and Bramley apples (winter); blackberries, broad beans and broccoli (late summer); and new potatoes (spring).

Then, there are foods that are only in-season fleetingly – like turkey (December), plums (Sep/Oct), sweetcorn (September) and peaches (Aug/Sep).

This webpage from BBC Good Food is a really useful resource to help you see when certain foods are in-season – and to help you decide when it’s the right time to try something new.

Make in-season food taste even better

OK, so you’ve decided to eat in-season. But it’s not just about buying great food – it’s also about preparing it in a way that’ll make it taste even more amazing. We’ve got a few ideas that’ll help with that.

Take this Bosch oven, which has 3D Hotair technology. It evenly distributes heat on up to three levels so you'll get perfectly cooked food whichever shelf you use – which means no burnt edges or raw middles. Also, no swapping things from one shelf to another half way through, which is just so annoying.

When you’re after crispy chips without the fat, this Tefal Actifry is just the job. A spoonful of oil is all you need. Mmmm… if you’re anything like us, your lips are smacking at the prospect. But it’s not just chips – you can do curries, stir frys, casseroles, risottos, desserts and more in this.

One more idea for you. Once you’ve filled your cupboard and fridge with delicious in-season produce, what better than to mix it all together for an incredibly fresh, tasty smoothie? This Breville Blend-Active blender makes it easy to create a nutritious and delicious smoothie in no time at all. Yum.

There are all sorts of benefits that you get from eating in-season, and loads of ways to make your meals even tastier through tech. What are your in-season eating tips? Any favourite tech you use to bring food to life? Let us know below the line…