It's Time to Plan 2025's Seasons of Eating
Yes, this Type A Virgo is genuinely planning what to eat for the rest of the year
Sure seasonal eating puts perfectly pink forced rhubarb in all our desserts for a few weeks and tells us when it’s not worth buying strawberries, but I’m not thinking about when food is at its best but rather when I can eat the best food. I’ve started to plan my Seasons of Eating for 2025: those moments in the year which I know presents an opportunity for trying a new recipe, putting together an over-the-top spread, or booking a table at a restaurant I’ve wanted to try forever.
After wading through the first few weeks of the year where, generally, not much is scheduled in, the first notable moment of my eating year rolls up in early March with my husband’s birthday. This year we have friends visiting which means there’s not only a cake to plan but getting to think about pre-drink carb-loading for meat eaters and vegans alike. Shortly before is our annual Pancake Day gathering, with this year being the first our son will get to indulge (and I have no doubt he absolutely will!), and everyone brings a topping to add to the constantly revolving lazy susan of spreads, fruits and meats we provide.
We’ll be hosting Easter Sunday lunch instead of Christmas this year, so my Instagram saves are full of potato options: hasselback, layered, dauphenoise; the algorithm then serving up options for potato skin crisps along with homemade dips which starts to conjour ideas to try for the patio drinks we’ve promised to our neighbours and picnics our toddler begs for as soon as the sun comes out.
Before summer hits though, spring welcomes in the return of our Eurovision party complete with themed dishes on paper plates, and mine and my husband’s third wedding anniversary which will see us eating at a restaurant that we coincidentally shared with each other on the very same day with wishful thinking that then turned into a plan, a babysitter request and a table reservation.
I’ve got child-friendly cafes just off motorways pinned for potential road trips, cocktail bars for the very few times I’m in a new city without parenting responsibilities written in Notes, and thoughts for breakfast, lunch, dinner AND snacks in one UK city in one day with my best foodie friend. Most exciting is the potential for eating far, far away from home. A wedding in Spain over my birthday means I’m planning an extravagant meal for one in Barcelona and there’s potential for a family holiday that will inevitably be planned around where we might be able to get sunshine, naps and restaurants that will cater to my high hopes for something new and my son’s low tolerance for anything that isn’t chips.
And there is of course still thoughts, ideas and excitement around seasonal eating, specifically for all of the things I have planned for my allotment. I want a stash of fresh pizza sauces made from my own tomatoes and garlic, bottles of hot sauce from the three types of chilli I’m growing, and ice cube trays of kale pesto to chuck into pasta when I need vitamins but I’m low on patience.
The year ahead is looking like it’s going to be quite the shake-up, but when life is unsure and busy and excitingscary, it’s also going to be delicious.