March 2026 Seasonal Produce Guide: What London Chefs Should Be Ordering Right Now

March is the month when two seasons collide in a London restaurant kitchen. Winter is retreating but has not yet released its grip — the root vegetables, brassicas, and citrus fruits that have sustained menus since November are still available and still good, but the restlessness has set in. Guests have eaten enough celeriac. They have had their fill of parsnip. The appetite for something new, something that signals the turn toward spring, is palpable in every dining room in the city, and the kitchens that respond to it first are the kitchens that earn the most goodwill.

Simultaneously, the earliest signs of spring are arriving — tentative, unreliable, and thrilling. The first spears of British asparagus. Forced rhubarb in its final, most intensely pink weeks. Wild garlic carpeting the floors of woodlands across southern England. Jersey Royals breaking ground in the Channel Islands. And from the European growing regions that will dominate restaurant menus through summer and autumn, the vanguard shipments of produce that remind London chefs why direct sourcing from Italy, Greece, France, and Spain is not a fine-dining but a necessity.

This is the monthly guide to what is at its best right now, what is arriving, what is finishing, and how London's most thoughtful kitchens are using the seasonal transition to create menus that feel urgent, relevant, and genuinely exciting.

What Is at Peak Right Now

These are the ingredients that are at their absolute best in March.

Sicilian Blood Oranges

March is the peak of the Sicilian blood orange season. The Tarocco reaches its leading expression in early to mid-March. The window is short. By early April, the season is winding down. What is available now, sourced directly from Etna-region growers, is the best you will see until next January.

Forced Rhubarb from Yorkshire

March is the tail end of the forced rhubarb season. Use it now, because by mid to late March, the forcing sheds are done for the year.

Cavolo Nero and Late Brassicas

The winter brassica family is producing some of its leading quality right now. Purple sprouting broccoli deserves particular attention this month.

Amalfi Coast Lemons

The Sfusato Amalfitano is in peak season throughout March. Direct sourcing from Amalfi Coast growers is essential for this ingredient.

What Is Arriving: The First Signals of Spring

British Asparagus

The first British asparagus of the season typically breaks ground in mid to late March. Talk to your supplier now about securing early-season allocation. A supplier with strong British grower relationships will be able to give you advance notice.

Wild Garlic

From mid-March through late April, wild garlic carpets woodlands across southern England.

New Season Olive Oil

March is when the first new-season extra virgin olive oils from the southern Mediterranean begin arriving. Greek and Italian new-season oils from direct grower relationships are particularly worth seeking out.

What Is Finishing

Seville Oranges

The season is functionally over by March, but a few late shipments may still be available.

Truffles

The winter black truffle season is winding down in March.

Root Vegetables

Stored root vegetables are still available but past their peak.

Five Hero Ingredients for Your March Menu

Blood oranges — the single most versatile seasonal ingredient available this month.

Purple sprouting broccoli — the best British vegetable of the month.

Forced rhubarb — the final weeks of the Yorkshire forced season.

Amalfi lemons — not as a background ingredient but as a hero.

New season olive oil — feature it as a named ingredient.

Menu Engineering for the Seasonal Transition

The 70/30 Rule

Build your menu on a 70/30 split — 70% reliable ingredients, 30% new arrivals.

Cross-Season Dishes

Combine winter and spring elements on the same plate.

Communicate the Season to Your Guests

Provenance information from your supplier gives your front-of-house team the material to make these moments happen.

What to Order from Your Supplier This Week

From Sicily: blood oranges. From the Amalfi Coast: lemons. From Greece: new-season olive oil. From Spain: late oranges, Piquillo peppers. From France: Brittany artichokes. From British farms: forced rhubarb, purple sprouting broccoli, wild garlic.

Your supplier should be telling you what is exceptional right now — not waiting for you to ask. If they are not, that is worth reflecting on. If you want a supplier who communicates seasonality as part of the service, our approach to supply is built around exactly that principle. We deliver between 2am and 6am so your produce is on the prep bench before anyone walks in. Apply for membership and experience the difference in your first March delivery.

Make the Most of March's Seasonal Window

The produce highlighted in this guide is at its best for a limited window. To maximise quality and minimise waste during seasonal transitions, read our guide to reducing food waste through better supply chain management — the freshness advantage of direct-sourced seasonal produce compounds into significant waste savings.

For Italian citrus and tomato sourcing specifically, our Italian produce guide details the Sicilian cooperatives and Campanian growers behind the blood oranges and San Marzano tomatoes featured above. And if you are re-evaluating your supplier's seasonal intelligence capability, the 10 criteria for choosing a food supplier includes proactive seasonal advice as a key differentiator.

Frequently Asked Questions

What fruit and vegetables are in season in March in the UK? March is a transitional month. Peak-season highlights include Sicilian blood oranges, Yorkshire forced rhubarb, Amalfi Coast lemons, cavolo nero, purple sprouting broccoli, and the first wild garlic. Late-season items include Seville oranges and winter truffles. Early arrivals include British asparagus and Jersey Royals.

When does British asparagus season start? The traditional start date is 23 April (St George's Day), but the season increasingly begins in mid to late March as growing techniques improve and winters become milder. Early-season asparagus is thin, sweet, and produced in limited quantities.

How should restaurants plan menus around seasonal produce? Use the 70/30 rule: 70% of dishes built on reliably available, peak-quality ingredients, and 30% featuring new arrivals and seasonal highlights. This provides stability while creating excitement. A supplier with strong seasonal knowledge and a dedicated account manager can advise on optimal timing for menu transitions.

What is forced rhubarb and when is it available? Forced rhubarb is grown in darkness in Yorkshire's famous forcing sheds, producing slender, brilliantly pink, tender stalks with a delicate flavour. The season runs from January through mid-March. It is a fundamentally different ingredient from outdoor rhubarb, which arrives from April onwards.