Spring is almost here, but March has a habit of keeping us guessing. One day the sun is out; the next, you’re reaching for your winter coat again. It’s the kind of month that calls for food with a bit of heart — meals that feel grounding, warming, and connected to the season rather than fighting against it.

Britain has a long tradition of eating with the seasons, and March sits at a fascinating crossroads. The last of winter’s root vegetables are still going strong, while early spring greens — purple sprouting broccoli, wild garlic, spring onions — are just beginning to emerge. This combination creates a natural larder that’s been shaping British cooking for centuries.

These dishes are all rooted in that tradition. Each one comes from a specific region, carries a bit of history, and leans on the produce that’s actually at its best in March. You’ll find everything from a slow-braised Welsh lamb cawl to a hearty Lancashire hotpot — plus full recipes to try at home with the family.

What makes March special for British cooking?

March sits at the tail end of the hungry gap — a term farmers and cooks have used for generations to describe the lean period between winter stores running out and spring harvests arriving. Historically, this made March one of the most creatively demanding months in the kitchen. Cooks had to stretch what was left of the winter crop while making the most of early spring produce.

The seasonal highlights for March include:

  • Root vegetables: parsnips, swede, turnips, and carrots are still in excellent condition
  • Brassicas: purple sprouting broccoli reaches its peak, as do leeks and kale
  • Wild ingredients: wild garlic begins to appear in woodlands and hedgerows from late March
  • Fish: native oysters and mussels are still in season, and brown trout season opens on 15th March in England and Wales
  • Lamb: early spring lamb starts to become available, particularly Welsh and Cumbrian breeds

This seasonal mix has shaped the dishes below — all of which have been eaten in Britain for generations, and all of which still taste brilliant today.

A brief history of seasonal British cooking

Before supermarkets made every ingredient available year-round, British families ate whatever the land and season provided. This wasn’t seen as a limitation — it was simply how things worked. Each month had its own rhythm, its own flavours, and its own dishes.

March, sitting at the edge of winter and spring, developed a cuisine of transition. In upland areas like Wales, the Scottish Borders, and the Lake District, lamb was central. Coastal communities in the north of England and Scotland relied on preserved fish and hearty soups to carry them through. Further south, the fertile soils of the Home Counties and East Anglia yielded reliable root vegetables right into early spring.

By the 19th century, traditional recipes had become firmly embedded in regional identity. Dishes like Lancashire hotpot and Scottish cock-a-leekie were appearing in cookbooks, carried into households by domestic servants and home cooks who passed them down through families. Many of these recipes have changed very little since.

Welsh Cawl

Region: Wales | History: Medieval origins

Cawl (pronounced “cowl”) is one of Wales’s oldest national dishes, with written references dating back to the 14th century. Traditionally made with lamb or mutton and leeks — both symbols of Wales — it was the staple meal of Welsh farmers and shepherds throughout the colder months. Every family has their own version, and it’s common for the broth to be served first as a soup, with the meat and vegetables following as a second course.

March is ideal for cawl. Welsh lamb is coming into season, and leeks are still at their best before the season ends.

Serves: 6 | Time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

  • 1 kg bone-in lamb shoulder, cut into large pieces
  • 3 large leeks, sliced
  • 3 medium carrots, chopped
  • 2 parsnips, peeled and chopped
  • 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
  • 1 swede, peeled and diced
  • 1.5 litres lamb or vegetable stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt, pepper, and fresh parsley to serve

Method:

  1. Brown the lamb pieces in a large pot over medium-high heat, then set aside.
  2. Add the stock and bay leaves to the pot, return the lamb, and bring to a simmer.
  3. Cook on a low heat for 1.5 hours, skimming any fat from the surface.
  4. Add the root vegetables and cook for a further hour until tender.
  5. Add the leeks 15 minutes before serving.
  6. Season well and serve with crusty bread and a sprinkle of fresh parsley.

Lancashire Hotpot

Region: Lancashire, North West England | History: 19th century

Lancashire hotpot is one of the most recognisable dishes in British regional cooking. It emerged in the mill towns of Lancashire during the Industrial Revolution, when working families needed a meal that could cook slowly while everyone was out at work. A layer of thinly sliced potatoes on top — which become golden and crisp in the oven — is the dish’s defining feature.

Mutton was traditionally used, though lamb is more common today. The dish is entirely in season in March, with lamb, potatoes, onions, and carrots all readily available.

Serves: 4–6 | Time: 2.5 hours

Ingredients:

  • 800g lamb neck fillet or shoulder, diced
  • 3 large onions, sliced
  • 3 medium carrots, sliced
  • 1 kg floury potatoes (such as Maris Piper), thinly sliced
  • 500ml lamb or chicken stock
  • 2 sprigs of fresh thyme
  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 25g butter, melted
  • Salt and pepper

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 170°C (fan 150°C).
  2. Season the lamb and brown in batches in a large casserole dish. Set aside.
  3. Cook the onions in the same pan until softened, then add the carrots.
  4. Layer the lamb, onions, and carrots in the casserole dish. Add the stock, thyme, and Worcestershire sauce.
  5. Arrange the potato slices on top in overlapping layers, then brush with melted butter.
  6. Cover and cook for 1.5 hours, then remove the lid and cook for a further 30–40 minutes until the potatoes are golden.
  7. Serve with pickled red cabbage.

Cock-a-Leekie Soup

Region: Scotland | History: 16th century

Cock-a-leekie has been a fixture of Scottish cooking since at least the 1500s, with records of it being served at grand feasts as well as humble family tables. The original versions included prunes, which added a subtle sweetness to the broth — a combination that sounds unusual but works beautifully. Some families still include them; others prefer to leave them out.

Leeks are the star of this soup, and they’re still excellent in March. It’s a deeply comforting, gentle dish — ideal for a cool spring evening.

Serves: 4–6 | Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole chicken (approximately 1.5 kg)
  • 4 large leeks, sliced
  • 2 medium carrots, chopped
  • 100g pearl barley
  • 12 pitted prunes (optional, but traditional)
  • 1.5 litres water or chicken stock
  • 2 bay leaves
  • Salt and white pepper
  • Fresh parsley to serve

Method:

  1. Place the chicken in a large pot with the water or stock and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 1 hour.
  2. Remove the chicken and leave to cool. Skim the fat from the broth.
  3. Add the pearl barley to the broth and simmer for 20 minutes.
  4. Add the carrots and leeks and cook for a further 20 minutes.
  5. Shred the cooled chicken and return to the pot. Add the prunes if using.
  6. Season well and serve with fresh parsley and crusty bread.

Cornish Pasty

Region: Cornwall, South West England | History: 17th century (documented), likely earlier

The Cornish pasty has Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status, meaning that only pasties made in Cornwall to the traditional recipe can be called “Cornish.” Its origins lie with Cornish tin miners, who needed a portable, robust meal they could carry underground. The thick crimped edge — which some accounts suggest was used as a handle and then discarded, as hands were often covered in arsenic from the mines — is the pasty’s most distinctive feature.

A traditional filling of beef skirt, potato, swede, and onion keeps this dish firmly in season through March.

Serves: 4 | Time: 1.5 hours (plus 30 minutes chilling)

Ingredients (pastry):

  • 500g strong plain flour
  • 120g vegetable shortening or lard
  • 25g butter
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Cold water to mix

Ingredients (filling):

  • 350g beef skirt, diced small
  • 200g potato, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 150g swede, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 1 medium onion, finely diced
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 egg, beaten, to glaze

Method:

  1. Make the pastry by rubbing the fats into the flour and salt until it resembles breadcrumbs. Add just enough cold water to bring it together. Wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan 180°C).
  3. Divide the pastry into four and roll each piece into a circle roughly 25cm across.
  4. Layer swede, potato, onion, and beef onto one half of each circle. Season generously.
  5. Fold the pastry over, crimp the edge firmly, and glaze with beaten egg.
  6. Bake for 45–50 minutes until deep golden brown.

Purple Sprouting Broccoli with Anchovy Butter and Brown Bread

Region: Throughout Britain, particularly the South West | History: Centuries-old vegetable, preparation style from the 18th century

Purple sprouting broccoli is the unsung hero of the British winter-to-spring transition. It has been grown in British kitchen gardens for hundreds of years, and it reaches peak flavour in March — sweet, slightly nutty, and entirely different from the supermarket broccoli most of us are used to.

This is less a recipe than a way of celebrating the vegetable at its best. Anchovy butter is a traditional British condiment with roots in 18th-century cooking, when anchovies were a common and affordable pantry staple.

Serves: 4 (as a side) | Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 500g purple sprouting broccoli, trimmed
  • 60g butter, softened
  • 4 anchovy fillets, finely chopped (or 1 tsp anchovy paste)
  • 1 clove garlic, crushed
  • Juice of half a lemon
  • Thick brown bread to serve

Method:

  1. Mix the butter, anchovies, garlic, and lemon juice together until well combined. Set aside.
  2. Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Cook the broccoli for 3–4 minutes until just tender.
  3. Drain and arrange on a warm plate.
  4. Place the anchovy butter on top and allow it to melt over the broccoli.
  5. Serve immediately with thick slices of buttered brown bread.

Bring these recipes to your table this March

The dishes above share something beyond their ingredients: they’re all expressions of place, season, and community. They were created by people who paid close attention to what was growing around them, and who made something nourishing and delicious from what was available.

Cooking them at home is one of the best ways to connect with that tradition. Whether you start with a simple bowl of cock-a-leekie or spend a Sunday afternoon putting together a slow-cooked Lancashire hotpot, each recipe is a small act of participation in something much older than any of us.

Explore more seasonal recipes, regional food histories, and family cooking guides right here — and share what you make with us. We’d love to see your March meals.

Further Reading: Winter Comfort Food – Casseroles and Stews, English Pudding Season, The Olio App – Reduce Food Waste, How to Shop Ethically, From Garden to Oven: Autumn Vegetable Bakes for the Family, Warming Autumn Soups to Soothe the Soul, How the Cost of Living Changed My Shopping List

Inspiration: Instagram, TikTok, Threads, Pinterest, Twitter, BlueSky