'We have the best soft fruit in the world'

Last week ingredients expert and Masterchef presenter Gregg Wallace shared his tips on getting kids to eat their 5-a-day. Now he reveals his favourite vegetables, why we should eat seasonal food and how a hip flask of brandy could get you the best veg you've ever had...

What are your favourite seasonal foods for July?
Berries! We have the best soft fruit in the world. Arguably the Scots have better raspberries than us, which as a passionate Englishman I hate to admit. And you'll soon have bobby beans. I love bobby beans. We get all those French beans flown over from Nairobi. Get yourself an English bobby bean.

What else do we have to look forward to?
It's time to forget asparagus. You'll get all your baby bunches now. Young carrots, baby leeks, little baby turnips, bunches of beetroot. That's what you want. Oh and sweetcorn soon! I like sweetcorn, but I hate baby corn. The only use I've found for it is getting the wax out of your ears.

Why should people buy seasonally?
Because you'll eat better and cheaper food. It's as easy as that. Let's get this right - you can't be too evangelical. If it has no option at all of growing in this country, then by all means enjoy whatever you want. I love a mango and I also enjoy a lemon in my G&T. If it has a season, buy it in its season, it'll taste much much better. It's likely to have travelled a lot less as well.

Where's the best place to get seasonal produce from?
Apart from Gregg's Veg? I'll give you a good tip. Find out where your nearest allotment is because all their fruit and veg come up at once. Wander up with a flask of strong tea and a hip flask of brandy and make friends and you'll have access to the best fruit and veg.

Is organic worth the extra money?
I'm not a doctor, so I don't know about the health benefits. I'm into flavour and taste. And it's ridiculous to say that an organic carrot tastes better than a non-organic carrot. I've done the Pepsi challenge with half a dozen chefs and it proves inconclusive every time. What impairs the flavour of fruit or veg more than anything else is the time that has elapsed between picking it and eating it.

By Anna Penniceard