Portugal's growing season is long and varied. The Atlantic climate in the west, the continental heat in the Alentejo, and the altitude of the interior mean that produce comes in at different times depending on where it is grown. This is not a theoretical guide to seasonality. It is based on what actually arrives at the restaurants and markets in the Lisbon region through the year.

Spring (March to May)

White asparagus from the Ribatejo arrives in mid-March, usually within a ten-day window. Broad beans follow in April, along with the first spring onions and baby artichokes. This is also when the clams from the Algarve are at their best, before the summer heat makes harvesting difficult. The spring lamb from the Alentejo is available from March through to late April. If you see it on a menu in this window, it is worth ordering.

Summer (June to September)

Summer is tomato season, and the tomatoes from Palmela and the Alentejo are genuinely different from what arrives in winter. They are ripe, sweet, and acid in a way that makes a cold tomato soup worth eating. Peaches from Mafra come in July. Figs from the Alentejo arrive in August and run into September. The fish calendar in summer means more bream and rubia at the harbour, lighter catches than winter. The corn is being harvested in August in the Ribatejo, which is when the corn bread is at its best.

Autumn (October to November)

Autumn is mushroom season in Portugal, though it is less celebrated here than in Spain or Italy. The porcini and chanterelle from the Beira Alta arrive in October and are excellent with game or simply on toast with olive oil. The first of the season's sweet potatoes come from the Alentejo in October. The new olive oil, pressed in November, is a significant event for anyone who cooks: Portuguese new-harvest olive oil is grassy, peppery, and completely different from the oil that has been sitting in a bottle since last year.

Winter (December to February)

Winter in Portugal is root vegetable and legume season. Kale from Mafra is at its best in January and February, which is why caldo verde is a winter soup rather than a year-round one, even if it appears on menus all year. Dried beans and chickpeas, slow-cooked, are the backbone of the winter menu. The fish in winter tends to be richer and fattier: conger, monkfish, and the first of the bacalhau preparations that define Portuguese winter cooking.

The Cupola Plus menu is written every Tuesday morning based on what has arrived that week. If you want to know what is on before you come in, a quick call to +351 214 863 740 takes about two minutes.