Gloucestershire food with Rob Rees July 2010

The Cotswold Chef, Rob Rees, calls on the rain clouds, gives an alternative to bangers on the barbecues, and salivates over seasonal fruits this July.

It has certainly been a warm start to July and while we Brits hate to grumble about the sunshine when we do actually get it, the farmers could do with a little bit of water to calm down the growth of our seasonal fruits and vegetables.

This summer’s dry warm heat have started the salads and vegetables on a real bolting run, leaving loads of products all ready to eat at the same time. At this rate there will be nothing left for Harvest Festival in the autumn.

So, what do we have to eat this month? The raspberry canes should be starting to bend under the weight of bulging fruit this month. I adore raspberries kept at room temperature with a light dusting of icing sugar and squeeze of lemon – not forgetting a nice dollop of clotted cream.

If you to want to be daring though, consider conjuring up a lovely raspberry sauce by making a golden caramel with water and sugar and pouring it onto a generous bowl of soft raspberries – the heat cooks the berries instantly and then you can purée and have a great fresh sauce to serve with indulgent Cotswold ice-cream.

You should have picked your gooseberries by now too. These precious traditional fruits are best cooked as a compote by placing into a dry pan with a little fine sugar, the juice of a lime, a sprinkle of cinnamon and a glug of this summer’s elderflower presse. You then simply bring to the boil, turn off the heat and leave to cool. Perfect used in tarts and pies.

Curly endive lettuce is in abundance during July – it’s actually the heart that tastes the best being far more sweet than the darker outside leaves. Frissee, as it is sometimes better known, is brilliant tossed in a little Chinese-style dressing of sesame oil, chopped chillies, garlic and red wine vinegar. Add into the mix some roasted hazlenuts and lightly candied baby carrots and you have a great simple summer salad.

The first of the season’s globe artichokes should be entering their prime also. A seductive product when cooked gently, heart removed and the leaves dipped into melted butter with a twist of cracked black pepper and lemon juice. While it’s a real meal in itself, it’s also fantastic with baked local goats cheese and some crispy wild boar bacon.

While it seems that we might just get the ‘barbeque summer’ promised to us for years, if you’re looking for something more unusual to sling on the coals, consider something like spatchcock chicken. It is so easy to do by splitting the carcass, turning back the legs and securing with skewers. Then you just marinade your chicken in a mixture of soy sauce, local tomato chutney and a dash of Cotswold honey and chopped fresh herbs. I recommend both Great Farm Chickens and Madgetts – although there are many other great local producers.

This month, add into the mix fresh peas, broad beans, fennel, and an array of vibrant salad leaves and we have a true festival of talent to consider utilising in our July cookery. The theme though needs to be simplicity. And if you pick from your own veg patch and eat straight from the soil then it doesn’t really matter if it doesn’t make it to the plate.

See you again in August for some scorching food highlights from across Gloucestershire this summer.