Four reasons why we use seasonal produce (and why you should too)

We always use seasonal produce at Haar.

At Haar, we always use seasonal produce in our tasting menus; that is why they change so often. Chef Dean Banks always strives to source produce that is both seasonal and local to St. Andrews. We believe using a product at its seasonal peak makes for a better culinary experience. We spend countless hours coming up with our tasting menus, always incorporating the best of what is in season, a lot of it available on our doorstep.

Let’s delve a little deeper into why we use seasonal produce in all our dishes and why you should too, when at home.

1) It offers a nutritional and varied diet

It is no secret that fruit and veggies contain lots of beneficial vitamins, nutrients, and vitamins for our bodies, but it is always best to consume them when they are in season. Not only does this offer you many health benefits, but you will also have a balanced, varied diet as you will be eating different veggies throughout the year – all of which come with their health advantages.

When you think about cooler months like autumn and winter, these are usually associated with pumpkins, butternut squash, cranberries, and apples, to name a few.

When you look at spring and summer, you will find cucumbers, strawberries, rhubarb, and lettuce are all in season.

We would always recommend eating what is in season. It makes for a better dining experience, whether at home or eating out.

2) It helps to avoid chemicals and pesticides

When you grow a type of food outside its natural environment, it will always need a little bit of help along the way. Often, this help comes in the form of pesticides and other chemicals, unfortunately.

While these may not be completely avoidable with some items you may require for cooking throughout the year, it always helps to be conscious of the seasonality of fruit and veg to try and minimise consumption. Eating organic food also helps with this.

At Haar, we always aim to eliminate the use of any foods that use pesticides. We only use local ingredients of the highest quality in all of our dishes.

3) Higher quality food with the best flavours

It should be no surprise that when you eat food in season, it just tastes better. If you think about it, when you try and grow something when it is going to struggle to reach its full potential, the food will not taste as good as when it is grown in season.

Letting anything grow in its natural environment, without any additions of chemicals and pesticides, will always taste better. This is why we always use seasonal produce in our dishes at Haar. We always want to ensure they can be at their best, with a quality you can taste in every mouthful.

We should always trust Mother Nature and let her do her thing. That is when we get the best produce possible.

4) Sustainability

At Haar, we are massively committed to sustainability, mainly through the ingredients we choose in our dishes. We ensure that our produce is seasonal and doesn’t have to travel too far to get to us, reducing carbon emissions. We use as much as we can of any ingredient, reducing food waste.

With seasonal produce, you are using items you can get in abundance at a particular time in the UK. When you buy produce out of season, you will often find that they are imported from all parts of the globe. This, in turn, unnecessarily increases the requirement for modes of transport that burn fossil fuels. You are entirely cutting this stage out when you buy seasonal produce that is available locally — keeping both you and the planet happy.

Would you like to visit and enjoy our delicious dishes, prepared using local, seasonal produce? You can reserve your table right here.