I associate certain months with particular ingredients. April makes me think of snappy asparagus and crinkly wild morels. June is all about fragrant elderflower and sharp gooseberries. I connect August with its sweet tomatoes and blackberries from the hedgerows, and in October quince and earthy celeriac come to mind. But what about February – a tricky between-seasons time?
There’s forced rhubarb with its vivid pink stems but, on the whole, it’s a lean time for veg – just when what we dearly need is something new and exciting to cook. Which brings me neatly onto purple sprouting broccoli, or PSB.