Chocolate, Pancakes, Marmalade
Seasonal Foods and Food Festivals in February

For me, February is the worst month in the calendar. I'm struggling with the dark, desperate to see some sun and be out and about. But all too often I go to work in the dark, come home in the dark and watch the rain lashing the windows at the weekend!

At this time of the year, food needs to cheer me up.

But I'm tired of the warming and comforting foods that are so welcome during autumn and winter.

I crave something fresh and light, and nothing fits the bill better than the very first pink forced rhubarb from 'up north' which often arrives towards the end of February.

Not only is its delicate pink colour a great antidote to the 'greyness' outside, it also tastes divine and makes the most wonderful looking Rhubarb Fool.

But rhubarb is not the only food in England in February. This month is commonly defined by Valentine's Day on February 14th and Pancake Day on Shrove Tuesday.

Pancake Day is a sort-of housekeeping exercise that goes right back to the Middle Ages. You're meant to use up all the indulgent ingredients in your kitchen, before the start of the 40 days of Lent. And because days of fasting and penitence are perhaps not the best thing to look forward to at this time of the year, we celebrate Pancake Day with all manner of fun and mayhem such as pancake races and - of course - much sweet food.

Valentines Day on the other hand is unashamedly about chocolate. And roses, I suppose. But because of the old adage that Chocolate Lovers make the best Lovers, it's imperative that you'll find some top-quality Valentine's chocolates to impress the love of your life.

Locally caught flat fish like sole, skate, plaice and turbot are at their absolute best this month and not quite as pricey as at other times of the year.

So if you're planning a seductive Valentine's day supper for your love, try serving some fish ... lightly steamed, surrounded by a delicate sauce and decorated with a few strands of fresh lemon and orange peel, it will look a million dollars!

And since it's the month when Seville oranges can be found in every shop and citrus fruits are at their absolute best, many people make proper English Marmalade, and Lemon curd.

Real food festivals though, are still a little thin on the ground... but don't worry, that will soon change.

Pancake Day Celebrations

This isn't a food festival in the strictest sense, but Olney and Westminster are justly famous for their Shrove Tuesday celebrations. That does not mean they're the only places in England to get out the frying pans.

Pancake Day is celebrated all over the country and if you're looking for a place near you to have fun with the whole family then check out this page.

Bramley Apple Week

First grown in Southwell in Nottinghamshire in 1809 - and until this day grown only in Britain - Bramley apples celebrated their Bicentenary in 2009 and sports its own food festival - Bramley Apple Week - every year. The festivities include apple growing competitions, cooking competitions and a fiercely fought contest for the accolade of the Bramley apple product.

Check out Bramley Apples Online for news and events of this most English of food festivals. Find recipes and ideas, or listen to the Bramley apple podcast.

National Chip Week

Between February 9th and February 15th we celebrate one of our nation's favourite foods: chips!

Potatoes first arrived on our shores from the New World in the 17th century, but by all accounts were not an immediate hit. It took until the 1750s for the first chips to make an appearance, but once they were here they took the country by storm. Today one out of every four potatoes is made into chips, showing quite clearly what we like to eat.

For lots of interesting chip facts, recipes, reviews and ideas to celebrate chip week check out Love Chips!