Tips for eating seasonally + brunch quiche recipe with Suffolk New potatoes

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Ever since I began growing my own fruit and vegetables in my garden, I’ve been so much more aware of the seasonality of produce. I say that as if I’ve been digging over an allotment for years but, in fact, this is the first year that we’ve grown anything in our backyard.

We built our veggie patch in February this year and I am still sowing seeds and trying new crops. But, nonetheless, seeing seeds turn into seedlings, thinning them, pricking them out to give them more space, adding canes for support, stringing up climbers and now, harvesting courgettes, salad and peas from our own garden – all this has made me think about how important it is to choose vegetables according to their seasons.

Did you know that Suffolk New potatoes are being harvested now? This means you should be able to find them in the supermarkets and so now’s the time to snap them up while you can. I’ve bagged myself a sack of freshly-dug-up new potatoes and they are just delicious. The delicate skins just flake away and the tiny potatoes boil up nicely in a matter of minutes. The taste is just SO fresh and it reminds me of summer BBQs and picnics.

The thing that I love about eating seasonal fruit and veg is the freshness. Everything you eat has more flavour and is packed full of nutrients. But that’s not the only reason; eating seasonally means you don’t have to pay a premium for produce that has been shipped a great distance (which is important for a thrifty gal like me).

Plus, eating local produce supports the local economy and ensures that less CO2 will be produced during the process of growing and transporting the food. Of course, the date that local new potatoes are in season will be different around the country but, if you’re in Suffolk like me, you can certainly grab a bag for yourself right now.

BRUNCH QUICHE RECIPE

I decided to call this recipe a ‘brunch quiche’ for two reasons. Firstly, it contains lots of ingredients that you’d find in a cooked breakfast: local oak-smoked bacon, butchers’ sausages, sautéed potatoes, eggs. Secondly, I decided against calling it the ‘full English’ quiche because, well, no-one’s really going to eat a quiche for breakfast, are they? Brunch, however, is a different story!

Here’s a brief summary of the recipe and the ingredients you’ll need. I’ve written up the full recipe on the Seasonal Spuds website so feel free to head over there to find the detailed step-by-step guide to make this incredible (if I do say so myself!) summery quiche.

INGREDIENTS

For the pastry: flour, butter, a little water for mixing

For the egg ‘custard’: 200ml milk, 200ml cream, 4 large eggs

For the filling: Sliced onion, Suffolk New potatoes, olive oil, diced cooked bacon and sausages (leftover from breakfast!)

Optional: A grating of mature cheddar on top

METHOD

1. Make a shortcrust pastry and bake blind in a loose-based flan tin or cake tin for 10 minutes at 200 °C/180°C fan/gas mark 6.

2. In the meantime, prepare and cook the filling items including sliced Suffolk New potatoes, lightly boiled and sautéed until golden. Slice the onions before sautéing them. Use leftover cooked sausages from breakfast, sliced at an angle, and leftover cooked bacon, diced.

3. Combine the cream, milk and eggs and whisk together to make up the egg filling for the quiche.

4. Take the partially-baked pastry out of the oven. Here’s a handy tip if you’re worried about your pastry case leaking – brush the inside of the pastry with an egg-wash and return to the oven for a few minutes. This will help to ‘seal’ the pastry case before you add the egg mixture.

5. Pop the flan tin on a baking tray and start layering up the filling ingredients inside the pastry case. Carefully pour over the egg mixture and sprinkle on some grated mature cheddar. Return to the oven for 35-45 minutes until the egg is set and the top is golden. 

Enjoy!

Let me know if you give this recipe a try in the comments below – and please share your own successes of growing your own fruit and veg in your garden, I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to!

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This article is a sponsored collaboration. The pink links in the content indicate a sponsored link or information source. The blog post reflects my own experience and the sponsor hasn’t had any control over my content 🙂