‘Banana-cream and apricot arose in the eastern sky;
Softly blending with shaded-greys, it quietly caught my eye.
Dawn is magic along the horizon before the sun climbs aloft;
Winter mornings are specially-embellished with colours more muted and soft…’

Joan Adams Burchell - A Winter Dawn

Winter brings the stark emptiness of bare branches against the winter skies and the special pale winter light.  Days are sometimes cold and grey with long dark nights, our hands are cold, and we need to be comforted, warm and cosy with crackling, warm fires and delicious comfort food.  We look forward to a few indulgences and more nostalgic cooking.

There is a warm, comfy feeling of coming home after work or a long frosty walk, to the smell and sound of a roast sizzling in the oven, the smell of puddings baking, of a soup bubbling away on the stove, a ‘slow’ casserole braising to impart the most wonderful, rich flavours.

The range of winter produce is not as great as in other seasons, but the root vegetables have a great sweetness and full flavour, sometimes lacking in the other seasons.

In Winter we:

Warm the heart with steaming soups, tasty stews with pungent herbs and robust flavours served with creamy gratinéed potatoes.

Bake hearty bread and butter puddings.

Liven up risotto with caramelized pumpkin and buttery fried sage.

Roast beef and pork.

Bake pithiviers with savoury fillings – buttery sweet leeks, gruyere and pine nuts, spinach and ricotta or sharp feta and tiny sweet currants.

Make thick strips of papardelle and toss with slow-cooked lamb shanks with slivers of poached quince with the braising liquid reduced to a flavoursome glaze.

Poach pears in red wine.

Cook cauliflower fritters.

Roast pork rack with rosemary and fennel seed and caramelized pears.

Bake apple pies – tart tatins with ice-cream and cream.

Cook frittata with sage and blue cheese, shaved fennel and proscuitto.

Braise duck with polenta and orange.

Enjoy rosewater pannacotta with vanilla poached quince and pear.

Poach rhubarb and add to Bread and Butter pudding.