What to Eat This Spring in Ireland — and How to Buy It Honestly

The short answer: To eat sustainably in Ireland this spring, buy what's actually growing and swimming here right now.

That means new season lamb, Atlantic shellfish, purple sprouting broccoli, wild garlic if you can get it, and the first outdoor rhubarb.

It means reading the country of origin on the back of the pack — not the front. And it means knowing the difference between an Irish-sounding label and an Irish product.

The rest of this guide will walk you through both.

Spring is an honest season for Irish food. Sure there's some stuff you can pull from storage, and some things you can force to come a little earlier, but the best meals are those that come from what's at its best right now.

We put the question to two people who know this better than most: Scott Smullen, our resident fish monger, and Keith Grant, master butcher. Here's what they're buying — and what you should be too.

Scott has been sourcing fish for years, and his read on what to buy in spring is straightforward: follow the cold water.

Haddock is reliable and versatile — it smokes beautifully, handles a batter without falling apart, and is consistently available from sustainable Irish and North Atlantic stocks.

Shellfish: the reason mussels, clams, and oysters are at their best right now is simple; the water is still cold. Shellfish feed on microscopic algae, and cold, clean Atlantic water produces the cleanest-tasting shellfish of the year. Scotty recommends Gigas oysters from Galway specifically — farmed in the bay, they're plump, briny, and as good as oysters get in this country.

We'll be covering sustainable seafood sourcing in more depth in a follow-up piece — we'll link here when it's live.

In full season: Purple sprouting broccoli is at its absolute peak — this is one of the most underrated vegetables grown in Ireland, and March is its month. Don't blanch it to death. A hot pan with olive oil and a little garlic is enough.

Kale, savoy, green cabbage, leeks, celeriac, and cauliflower are all solid and available. Forced pink rhubarb is in full production indoors and is better right now than it will be once the outdoor stalks take over. Velvet shank and oyster mushrooms are worth seeking out.

Heading out: Parsnips are now past their best — the quality declines sharply once the heavy frosts are gone. Swede and turnip are the same. Chicory and endive are at the tail end so eat them now or wait until next winter.

Mick Kelly of GIY has been one of the most consistent voices highlighting this problem — and he's demonstrated something highly useful: a single social media post calling out a retailer has, in recent cases, pulled a product from shelves faster than formal regulatory action. The FSAI undertook over 7,000 labelling checks in retail in 2025, but public pressure has proven a more immediate lever. If you find something that doesn't add up, report it at fsai.ie and say it out loud.

• Check the Label
• The front of the pack is marketing. The back is information. Ignore farmer imagery, Irish-sounding names, and green field photography — none of it is regulated in the same way as country of origin. Country of origin is a legal requirement on all fresh fruit and vegetables, meat, fish, eggs, and honey. It will be on there. Look for it.
• Check for the Bord Bia Quality Mark
• The Bord Bia Quality Mark is your most reliable signal on red meat, poultry, eggs, and fruit and vegetables — it means Irish origin has been independently audited. The caveat: the SuperValu herbs case showed the mark can appear on non-Irish produce. Bord Bia investigated and the product was recalled, but it did reach shelves first.
• Cross Reference the Shelf Label
• The shelf label and the product packaging are not the same thing. Several of the cases raised at the Dáil committee involved shelf labels indicating Irish origin while the product packaging said something different. The packaging carries more legal weight.
• Check its in season
• If it isn't in season here, it isn't Irish. Irish tomatoes in January. Irish strawberries in November. Question it. Cross-referencing the season is a practical filter that costs nothing.
• Where is it sold?
• The shortest supply chain is the most transparent one. Farmers' markets, farm shops, or direct from growers: no packaging intermediary, no opportunity for misleading labelling, and you can ask the question directly.

Our spring classes cover fish, shellfish, and hands-on techniques with the ingredients that are actually available right now.

• How do you eat and shop sustainably in Ireland in spring?
• Buy what is genuinely in season in Ireland right now: new season lamb, Atlantic shellfish (mussels, clams, Galway oysters), hake, lemon sole, purple sprouting broccoli, wild garlic, kale, and forced rhubarb. Ignore the front of food packaging entirely — check the country of origin, which is legally required and always present, usually in smaller print. Use the Bord Bia Quality Mark as your most reliable guide on meat, eggs, and produce. Shop at farmers' markets or direct from growers where possible.
• What fish is in season in Ireland in spring?
• Monkfish, john dory, lemon sole, and haddock are all in good supply. Shellfish — particularly mussels, clams, and Gigas oysters from Galway — are at their best in spring because the water is still cold, producing clean, firm shellfish.
• What is farmwashing in Irish supermarkets?
• Farmwashing refers to the practice of marketing produce under Irish-looking brand names and imagery while the actual country of origin — listed in smaller print — is somewhere else entirely. Cases raised at a Dáil committee in February 2026 included tomatoes, herbs, broccoli, and carrots, where front-of-pack branding suggested Irish origin while the legal country of origin declaration named Spain, Kenya, or Scotland. The FSAI handles formal complaints at fsai.ie.
• What is the best meat to buy in Ireland in spring?
• New season Irish lamb. It is widely considered to be at its annual peak in spring when young animals are feeding on fresh grass. Keith Grant, master butcher, recommends asking specifically for new season lamb from your butcher rather than buying pre-packaged.
• What vegetables are in season in Ireland in March?
• Purple sprouting broccoli is at its peak. Also in full season: kale, brussels sprouts, savoy cabbage, leeks, beetroot, celeriac, carrots, cauliflower, forced rhubarb, round lettuce, oyster and velvet shank mushrooms, wild garlic. Just coming in: wild garlic, spring onions, spinach, watercress, sorrel, and radishes from early polytunnel sowings.