Sea trout is one of the most delicious seasonal specialities in the North East in June.

Eggs are plentiful and free range chicken is tasty and economical – first perhaps as a roast, then stir fry the remaining meat and make a soup from the bones. Look out for some irresistible speciality breads to accompany any soup!

All our Farmers Markets offer a selection of fresh pork and beef and sometimes mutton at this time of year. Try some cheaper cuts like shoulder and shin for economy, which after slow cooking make the tastiest casseroles. There are now more cured meats on offer at some Farmers Markets’ – chorizo, pastrami, cooked ham and pork. Also real locally produced bacon and gammon that is dry cured and so better value as well as being tasty.

Locally grown vegetables will be in short supply this year with store root vegetables having run out early and spring crops being late. I have some late purple sprouting broccoli in the garden and I’m using it in soups and, with the help of “The Boxing Clever Cookbook”, accompanied by spicy chick pea sauce, sesame sauce, horseradish and walnuts. Just by itself purple sprouting broccoli is good with some tasty sausages, bacon or pork chops. Nettles make a nutritious soup or vegetable and are plenteous free!

Asparagus is late coming into season this year but there is some available from Bluebell organics.

The availability of the usual new potatoes, broad beans, carrots, courgettes and lettuces will be dependent on the weather.

Look out for plants and seedlings that have been raised in the North east and so should be hardier.

The 2012 Northumbrian Hill lamb season ends in March, with lambing starting in April – and the 2013 Northumbrian Hill lamb coming to market in early September. But – in North East lowland farms, lambing started in January, so the new season lowland lamb should be available from July. Meanwhile there should be some mutton available – delicious with leeks and barley in warming winter broths and stews - and also very good and flavoursome as a joint or chop.

On the game front, there should be plenty of rabbit, venison and pigeon for sale through to the end of September, but pheasant and hare has now come to an end.

Several farmers’ market regulars raise rare breed pork – Oxford Sandy & Black, Tamworth, Gloucester Old Spot and Middle White to name just a few. These well looked after pigs will take 6 -7 months to mature compared with the 5½ months for most large scale produced pork. The slower growth gives better quality meat, and the fat on these breeds carries a lot of flavour. Look out for dry cure shoulder bacon which is just right for adding, chopped, to a pea soup or bean stew to make an economical warming winter meal.

Duane Patterson from Eyemouth reports that flat fish, hake and monkfish are in plentiful supply. Some good haddock are being caught at the end of January and this should continue into February. Then the haddock take off to spawn in March & April and during this time they are rather thin, then, by May they are starting to get fat again, as are the codling and whiting. David Ridley of Ridleys Fish & Game says that at present (late January) monkfish and codling are being caught off the coast along with crabs and a few lobsters but fishing is very susceptible to the weather – especially high winds. Look out too for rod-caught Tweed and Tyne salmon. Dark hot smoked salmon is great with a steaming hot jacket potato and winter salad leaves.

After the worst growing season last year in decades it was clear vegetables were going to be in short supply through into the Spring. David Mellanby still has a good supply of roots such as leeks, parsnips, beetroot, swede and cabbage and sprouts, which should go through to end of March. Julian Negrut who grows greens and roots near Berwick reports a poor harvest, which he sold out over the Christmas period. He hopes to be back at Alnwick & Morpeth Farmers' Markets at the end of April with cabbages and cauliflowers, but it all depends on the weather.