Which fruits, vegetables and fish are in season in France this May?

May sits on the precipice between spring and summer, bringing a whirlwind of different weather events but a strong range of fresh foods. 

In France this is notably fresh fruit and vegetables, but also cheese.

The government provides a list of the produce locally available at your market or supermarket on its manger-bouger website. 

The site also offers recipe ideas for each item, so you never waste any of the produce. 

Our monthly series (this is last month’s) reviews seasonal produce which is available in France.

Strawberries, cucumbers, courgettes…

This month sees an explosion of colours in the kitchen, as the warmer months allow for new produce to finally become available after a long winter pause.

This includes courgettes, artichokes and peas, as well as asparagus and red cabbage (continuing on from last month). 

Cucumbers also begin to come into season.

Staples such as turnips and carrots are available, but it is the final month for spinach before a summer pause. 

Several fruits are on offer, notably strawberries. 

Although technically the season began during April, they should now be commonplace in supermarket shelves and market stalls for the summer months. 

Other berries including blackberries can be found, as can passionfruit and mangoes. 

Looking ahead, June will see another increase in available produce, with around a dozen new fruits and vegetables becoming readily available and grown in France.

Make the most of pike and sea bream 

Similarly to fruits and cheese, fish follows a seasonal calendar. 

Several fish – hake, sea bream and herring – are coming to the end of their seasonality, and pike (brochet) is only available for a couple of months. 

Lobster is still available, although several other crustaceans and shellfish are not. 

Trout also remains available, with trout fishing popular during the summer months in France.

Read more: Trout fishing opens in France: Dates, rules and permits explained