Your top picks for fruit and veg this spring

Also known as baby broccoli, this tasty and versatile veg is best cooked quickly by blanching in hot water or stir-frying. You can also add broccolini to soups and curries, just ensure you throw them in toward the end of cooking so they don’t overcook. Don’t throw out the stems. Cut them up or leave them whole - they’re just as tasty as the florets.

Top tip: Store broccolini in a jar in the fridge with the stems submerged in water to keep it fresh.

Crisp, convenient and mild-tasting, cos lettuce adds crunch to any sandwich, roll or wrap filling. It’s also super-versatile: use the paler, crunchy inner leaves as cups for san choy bow, or shells for gluten-free tacos; slice the darker outer leaves and add them to stir-fries or other veg for steaming; or cut into quarters for a variety of salad classics, such as Caesar or Waldorf. 

Top tip: Pick lettuces with tightly packed, stiff leaves with no brown spots. Wrap in slightly damp paper towel and store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Steamed, roasted or chargrilled, asparagus’ unique, savoury flavour is a welcome spring addition to salads, pasta dishes, savoury tarts and stir-fries. The green veg is also a brunch favourite served with hollandaise sauce and poached eggs. Asparagus will also complement grilled meats, seafood or chicken. To maintain its colour and ‘bite’, cook it briefly, as it will become limp if overdone.

Top tip: Look for bunches of rigid, bright-green spears with tightly packed heads. Store wrapped in a damp paper towel in an airtight container in the crisper drawer of the fridge.

These bite-size beauties are delicious as a side or as the star attraction, whether lightly steamed, roasted, barbecued or simply shaved and served raw in a salad. The trick to cooking Brussels sprouts is all about ‘less is more’ to keep their crunch and highlight their sweetness. Then dial up the flavour by tossing them with crispy chopped bacon, spicing them up with chilli and garlic, or showering them with parmesan and croutons.

Top tip: When buying Brussels sprouts, pick ones that feel firm, with tightly packed, bright-green leaves. Pop them in a paper bag and store in a cool, dark place, or in the fridge.

Spinach’s more robust cousin silverbeet is the all-rounder of leafy greens, whether you’re baking a Greek-style pie with feta or stirring it into soups. Its savouriness combines well with warm, earthy spices such as cumin, cardamon and coriander, as well as citrus, garlic and chilli. When cooking silverbeet, separate the white stalks from the leaves before chopping or slicing, and add the stalks a couple of minutes before the leaves to ensure even cooking. 

Top tip: Choose silverbeet with rigid white stalks and deep-green leaves. Wrap loosely in paper towel and store in an airtight container in the fridge’s crisper drawer.

Mild in flavour, raw spring onion shines in salads, quiches and sandwiches, especially when paired with ingredients like smoked salmon, eggs, cream cheese and potatoes. Stir-fry or roast the white parts whole, or cut into bite-sized lengths, to add a new level of sweet smokiness. Set aside the darker green parts and slice diagonally (or shred lengthways to form pretty curls) to use as a garnish.

Top tip: Buy bunches of spring onion that feel firm and dry. Store in a cool, dark place in a paper bag or store in an airtight container in the fridge.

With its distinctive aniseed-like flavour, fennel takes on a different character when cooked. Shaved or finely sliced when raw, it adds zing to salads, marrying well with citrus, goat cheese and smoked fish. Roasted or pan-fried in wedges, it caramelises into a sweet, tender partner for chicken, pork and seafood. Use the fine fronds, like its cousin dill, to flavour salads, soups, fish or egg dishes.

Top tip: When buying fennel, look for tightly packed bulbs with bright-green stems. Wrap in paper towel and store in an airtight container in the fridge’s crisper drawer.

Raw or cooked, whole or juiced, carrots are great everyday all-rounders. Enjoy the orange veg grated in salads and slaws; roasted as a side; sliced in stir-fries or chopped in a hearty bolognese sauce. They’re also the star of everyone’s teatime favourite, carrot cake, and pair with all kinds of flavours and ingredients, from honey to harissa. 

Top tip: Only wash carrots when you’re ready to use them, then simply scrub gently under cold running water – there’s no need to peel. Store wrapped in paper towel in an airtight container in fridge’s the crisper drawer.

An essential kitchen ingredient, lemons add zing to sauces and salad dressings, syrup cakes and stir-fries. They marry well with seafood and chicken; cut through the richness of barbecued and slow-cooked meats; and are indispensable in marinades and for preserving the colour of quick-steamed green veg, such as beans and broccolini. Toss a little lemon juice with your peeled, sliced apples, cut avocado and other produce to keep their colour.

Top tip: When buying lemons, choose bright fruit that feels heavy for its size. Store lemon in the fridge’s crisper drawer lined with paper towel to keep them dry.

It’s hard to beat munching on a freshly cooked, juicy corn cob. But there are so many ways to enjoy corn, and springtime is when it’s at its peak. Barbecue corn cobs and add the smoky kernels to a Mexican-style salsa with chopped tomatoes, fresh coriander and lime or lemon juice. Corn kernels also taste delicious in classic brunch-time fritters or an Asian-style noodle soup or stir-fry with prawns, chicken or tofu.

Top tip: If you’re buying corn in its husk, check the husk is bright green and soft. The kernels should be rounded and shiny, and ooze milky liquid when pierced. Store in their natural wrapping in the fridge’s crisper drawer.

Sliced on toast, chopped in salads, tossed through pasta, oven-roasted or grilled, tomatoes are a kitchen staple for good reason. They pair with so many ingredients, from cracked pepper to garlic, to all kinds of cheese, meat and seafood. Tomatoes continue to ripen after picking, so buy some with a deep colour to use immediately and others that are slightly green at the stem end to ripen up for later.

Top tip: Look for taut-skinned fruit that’s heavy for its size. Store at room temperature, or on a sunny windowsill, as refrigerating tomatoes affects their flavour.

These sweet little flavour bombs make an easy snack and are great for lunch boxes. But why stop there? Sprinkle them over your breakfast cereal, porridge or pancakes; bake them in cakes, muffins and tarts; or simply stir them through softened ice-cream or yoghurt for an instant dessert. Rinse and drain well just before serving. If you’re packing them in a lunch box, gently pat them dry with a paper towel.

Top tip: Choose firm fruit with a white-ish tint or ‘bloom’, which is their natural protection from the sun. Store blueberries in the fridge in their punnet. They also freeze well, but don’t rinse them beforehand.

With their rosy colour and sweet perfume, strawberries transform a simple sponge, tart or slice into something special. Whizz them into smoothies; slice them into fruit salads; make a quick sauce to pour over a pavlova or ice-cream; or just snack on them at any time of day. For an easy, Italian-style treat, drizzle them with a little balsamic vinegar or glaze, sprinkle with freshly cracked black pepper and serve topped with basil or mint leaves.

Top tip: When buying strawberries, check punnets are free of condensation or liquid on the base. Refrigerate in the punnet without washing or line a plate with a paper towel and store in a single layer.