Rooting for Winter
There are many who consider winter a difficult season to cook locally and seasonally as fresh fruit and vegetables can seem relatively limited. But think again as this is the season of simple comfort food: pies, hot pots, stews and casseroles, roasted root vegetables, jacket potatoes, slow-cooking and big-flavoured soups. One example is this robust Savoy Cabbage Minestrone by Boxxfresh, featuring other winter classics – carrots, leeks and onions. Savoy cabbage is considered the hardiest of winter cabbages and is very useful in the kitchen. Shred to use in a stirfry with fennel and shallots, add to pasta dishes, or serve as a side dish to the family roast or bangers and mash; and surely cabbage cooked with onions and chopped bacon, pancetta or lardons is one of the best and easiest suppers.
What else is in season?
Fruit: Apple; rhubarb.
Vegetables: Beetroot; broccoli; Brussels sprouts; cabbage; cauliflower; celeriac; celery; chicory; horseradish; Jerusalem artichoke; kale; leeks; mushrooms; onions; parsnips; potatoes; salsify; shallots; swede; sweet potato; turnips.
Game: Duck; goose; hare; mallard; partridge; pheasant; turkey; venison.
Seafood: Clams; cockles; dab; dover sole; flounder; grey gurnard; haddock; hake; herring; langoustine; lemon sole; lobster; mackerel; monkfish; mussels; oysters; pilchards and sardines; prawns; red gurnard; red mullet; scallops; sea bass; sea bream; skate; turbot; whelks.
Always check that seafood comes from sustainable sources. Read more about the Great Solent Seafood project, Hampshire Fare's partnership with Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust - link HERE.