Most ingredients are available all year round, but they tend to be cheaper – and taste better – when they're in season. Remember you can always substitute in a recipe – if spring onions are expensive, for instance, use leeks or onions instead. Frozen food can also be cheaper and as good as fresh – peas being the classic example, but broad beans, spinach, peppers and sweetcorn are fine too, especially if you're cooking them.
Cheaper in winter
All root vegetables (carrots, swedes, parsnips), cabbage and greens, leeks, citrus fruit (oranges, grapefruit and lemons), apples
Cheaper in summer
Lettuces, cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, spring onions, courgettes, asparagus, new potatoes, strawberries, raspberries, cherries, peaches, grapes
