Eating locally grown seasonal produce is better for your family, the environment, and your pocket - and it tastes great, too.

Here's our month-by-month guide to food in season:

January

Pineapple

Few pregnant women pass their due date without reaching in desperation for the infamous yellow fruit, which is rumoured to help bring on labour. Whether it really works or not is anyone’s guess, but at 41 weeks, anything’s worth a try...

Other seasonal treats: swede, purple sprouting broccoli, duck, pears.

February

Cabbage

It’s the vegetable everyone loves to hate, so here are a few little-known facts to inspire you to cook and eat it.

• It contains huge amounts of vitamin C, and it’s a negative calorie food, which means it takes more calories for your body to break it down than it contains.
• It’s cool leaves are famous for their soothing quality during breastfeeding.
• In Japan it’s so popular it’s become an ornamental flower!

Other seasonal treats: Haddock, forced rhubarb, mussels, kiwi fruit.

March

Beetroot

The world divides over beetroot: you either love it or hate it. Better to love it since it’s a mega boost to the immune system for winter coughs and colds, and increasing evidence shows it may help in the treatment and prevention of diabetes. For kids it’s a brilliant, gentle laxative.

Other seasonal treats: leeks, cauliflower, broccoli, sole, carrots.

April

Spring lamb

The taste of lamb is quite distinctive, and now’s a good time to try it when the flavour is sweeter and the meat at its most lean and tender. As meat goes it’s a healthy option packed full of zinc and iron for healthy blood and bones.

Other seasonal treats: new potatoes, rosemary, spinach, watercress, bananas, fresh goats cheese.

May

Asparagus

One of the great treats of British summer time, the best asparagus in the world comes from the Vale of Evesham and should always be eaten fresh. It’s a great finger food dipped in mayonnaise or some melted butter, so kids take to it better than you might think. They also like the idea that it might turn their pee green. If you’re pregnant it’s also a great source of folic acid.

Other seasonal treats: cherries, rocket, sardines, mackerel, sea bass.

June

Salmon

Salmon is a good way to introduce fish to kids. It doesn’t taste too fishy and has few bones, plus it’s easy to disguise in fish cakes or sandwiches. Its big advantage over other types of fish is that it’s oily so provides lots of essential vitamins and minerals to the brain and nervous system. It literally does make you brainier.

Other seasonal treats: apricots, broad beans, fennel, gooseberries, peas.

July

Tomatoes

The ultimate ‘super-food,’ tomatoes are extremely high in vitamin C, E and antioxidants (the cells that help prevent serious illnesses). A can of them and you’ve got a sauce for pasta, little cherry tomatoes make great snacks, and who doesn’t love a squirt of ketchup (which retains most of its nutritional value) on a sausage?

Other seasonal treats: artichokes, aubergines, peaches, strawberries, tomatoes.

August

Blackberries

If you live in a town or city, make a day of it - pack a picnic and go blackberrying. Kids love gathering them from the hedgerows and then going home and making puddings and jam. The super-high vitamin content means they’ll help prevent colds and flu as you go into winter.

Other seasonal treats: lobster, melon, peppers, plums, sweetcorn.

September

Venison

Sounds exotic? Why not give it a go? The farmed variety is becoming more common in supermarkets and has a milder taste than the wild. You can use it in much the same way as you use beef, but it has half the fat and all the protein. Kids won’t know the difference in stews and casseroles, or even homemade burgers.

Other seasonal treats: apples, goose, walnuts, mushrooms.

October

Chestnuts

There is something so magical about toasting chestnuts over an open fire if you have one, or if not, save them for bonfire night. Kids adore the party atmosphere of it and it’s a memory they’ll cherish forever. They are also high in omega-3 fatty acids, good to know if you can’t get them to eat fish.

Other seasonal treats: carrots, celeriac, figs, pears, pumpkin, blueberries.

November

Brussels Sprouts

The dreaded sprout, probably the most difficult vegetable to get your kids to eat, but one of the best for fibre, vitamins A, C, and E, and folic acid. Whatever you do, don’t overcook them, try them steamed, or stir-fried in butter with bacon bits. A really cunning trick is to put a couple in the blender with a fruit smoothie, they’ll never know.

Other seasonal treats: cranberries, parsnips, squid, tangerines.

December

Turkey

The meat of choice for our Christmas Day feast, few things are more spectacular than a golden bird at the centre of the table surrounded by all the trimmings. Kids generally like the white breast meat, though some love gnawing on a bone - to be encouraged - since most of the nutrients are there. It’s particularly high in B-vitamins, and with a little imagination, will keep you in delicious dinners for a few days afterwards.

Other seasonal treats: clams, main crop potatoes, monkfish, pomegranate, red cabbage.