The soft fruit season kicked off in May, as strawberries made a entrance. By mid-June, we will also find raspberries adding even more variety to the fruit offerings.

Spanish cherries are currently available, and throughout the month, UK varieties will start to make their appearance.

Gooseberries, a classic fruit, have experienced a revival in recent years. This month, you can look forward to UK-grown gooseberries being available.

The prices of Spanish stone fruit have been firm due to limited volumes, but they will ease as the month progresses. Many experts argue that this is the prime month for enjoying melons, particularly ripe Spanish melons.

A great new crop of iceberg lettuce has arrived. The initial quality has been excellent and there is a diverse range of lettuce options available to choose from such as lollo, oakleaf, and cos lettuce.

In terms of tomatoes, there is a supply from Holland with a variety of types available. Prices are stabilising, providing a good opportunity to include tomatoes in your dishes.

Cucumbers from Holland are arriving in good volume, and some UK-grown cucumbers are expected to make an appearance throughout the month as well.

Dutch peppers are of exceptional quality and remain reasonably priced.

UK and European potato stocks are rapidly diminishing. Lack of any large size in the reaming crop has resulted in 40s and 50s size jacket potatoes being in very short supply. European crop does not have the larger sizes this early in the season.

New season UK cauliflower and broccoli are expected to be ready for harvest, offering fresh and flavourful options.

Leeks have currently transitioned to Spanish supply, followed by French leeks, before returning to new season UK supply around mid-July.

New season Spanish carrots are currently being sourced, which may result in a slight increase in pricing. However, there will be a shift back to UK new season carrots starting in July.

As we approach the end of the UK season, it is advisable to avoid swede and parsnips. Spanish-imported parsnips will be available but may come at a higher cost due to the importation process. Asparagus season has also ended this month.

There is an abundance of superb UK brassica available, including Hispi and spring cabbage, and you can look forward to the arrival of Savoy cabbage in a couple of weeks.

New season Spanish onions are improving week by week, with their skins now setting and providing excellent quality.

Throughout June, fresh supplies of UK peas, broad beans, and courgettes can be expected, ensuring a wide variety of summer vegetables.

Aubergines have faced challenges in terms of supply and quality in recent months. However, this month presents an excellent opportunity to take advantage of the versatile product arriving from Holland, where the sizing and quality are exceptional.

Additionally, it is recommended exploring new season swede, rainbow chard, and summer cabbage, which are all in season.

Salmon

Market intelligence indicates a potential decrease in salmon prices, although the extent of the reduction is uncertain.

Loch Duart Salmon

Similar to salmon, farms have been compelled to reduce harvesting schedules and volumes while significantly increasing prices in June.

Improvements:

• Bluefin Tuna: line-caught and seine-netted Atlantic Bluefin tuna have shown enough recovery, thanks to effective management practices, to be upgraded from a rating of 4 to 3;
• Ray and Skate: Some ray wing species have seen slight improvements, particularly Thornback ray fished off the North Devon Coast, where conservation measures have been implemented. Careful selection of the correct species of Ray is crucial, as most other skates and rays still carry ratings of 4 or 5;
• Monkfish: Both black-bellied and white-bellied monkfish caught in the South West have slightly improved, with otter trawled monkfish moving into the "fish to eat" category. However, both species remain rated 4 in Scottish fisheries, emphasising the importance of sourcing correctly;
• Dover Sole: Dover sole from the South West has been consistently well rated, with the recent review upgrading its score to 3. Efforts have been made to make the fishery more sustainable, resulting in reduced fishing mortality;
• Farmed Bass and Bream: Global GAP-certified farmed bass and bream have been upgraded from a 3 to a 2 rating due to the implementation of a new, higher standard for feed and animal welfare.

Downgrades:

• Yellowfin Tuna: The yellowfin tuna stock in the Indian Ocean has been severely overfished, with insufficient progress in addressing key negative aspects of the fishery. As a result, the MCS downgraded the fishery to a rating of 5, recommending the avoidance of fish from this source;
• Squid: The U5 frozen Japanese Flying squid (trawled), commonly sold, has been downgraded to a rating of 5. The fishing pressure on this resilient species is deemed too high, particularly in the Chinese.