Cucumber

Our cucumbers are always soil-grown rather than fed hydroponically, and we think you can taste the difference. Like tomatoes, out of the British season it produces fewer carbon emissions to import them from small scale, organic growers in Spain than to rack up enormous energy bills heating glasshouses here. 

Beyond using in tzatziki, to soothe puffy eyes or chopping into batons and piling up with dip, try quick-pickling thin rounds Scandinavian style in vinegar (try infusing some with lavender), dill and a little sugar (unlike gherkins, these will need finishing the day you make them, which we doubt will be a problem).

How about a ‘smacked’ or ‘smashed’ cucumber salad?
Originating from Sichuan, a region in China known for its spicy cuisine which is often balanced with piquant, crunchy sides, this slightly brutal technique (where you vent any pent up frustration by bashing the fruit with a wide knife!) is great at concentrating cucumbers’ refreshing flavour by removing excess moisture as well as creating space for sauce to permeate. Once crushed and then cut up, combine with garlic, salt, sesame oil, soy sauce, vinegar, chilli and optional sweetener to taste.


Cucumber is obviously also crucial in Pimm’s and is our favourite garnish in a gin and tonic (other than perhaps a coconutty fresh fig leaf). Perhaps we should try and find a way of growing them pre-steeped in these summery tipples?