The Best Guide for the ST4 Area

December may not be the most bountiful month, but it certainly is a month all about food. Goose is in season for a great Christmas dinner centrepiece. Root vegetables such as beetroot, celeriac, parsnips, Jerusalem artichokes, potatoes, swede and turnips are all still going strong. Instead of roast potatoes try a mixed root vegetable roast, the different textures and sweetness of the vegetables make a really interesting dish. A touch of green is provided by brussel sprouts, kale, leeks, celery and cauliflower. Clementines, satsumas and tangerines provide a citrus boost and traditionally turn up in Christmas stockings, or studded with cloves as decorations. Apples are also available although the main season is over for centuries apples have been stored to provide sustenance over the winter months. The winter months are good for fish brill, haddock, halibut, hake, john dory, lemon sole, monkfish and turbot are all still in season, along with clams, scallops, mussels and now Oysters.

Brussels are lovely, they are one of my favourite vegetables. Brussels are a good source of vitamins A and C, iron, potassium and fibre. When cooked lovingly brussel sprouts have a delicate flavour, fresh green colour and crisp texture not the soggy yellowing brussels of childhood. To serve them whole cook in lightly salted boiling water until just tender or steam gently for 5-7 minutes. You can also shred them and use them in a stir fry.

Try this simple recipe of Brussel Sprouts with Chestnuts and Bacon.

A touch of Middle Eastern exoticness, pomegranates are mouth wateringly sweet and sour. Pomegranates have been imported into the UK as a delicacy since medieval times. Pomegranates have very high antioxidant properties and are rich in potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B3 and fibre. The white pith is very astringent, so it is important to remove it all otherwise they are very bitter. The sweet sour flavour works very well with game, cutting through the savoury richness. A particular favourite of mine is Duck and Pomegranate sauce. A bowl of pomegranate seeds sprinkled with rosewater and sugar and scattered with toasted almond flakes and served with yogurt makes a refreshing dessert.

Try our Duck and Pomegranate wraps.

A real winter treat, parsnips are sweet, fluffy and nutty. They are at their best simply roasted, or made into a flavourful velvety puree as an accompaniment to any roast dinner. Parsnips are one of the most versatile vegetables matching well with any meat or fish. Parsnips also pair well with spices such as ginger, nutmeg, mace and curry powder. Cook them gently in milk until tender drain reserving the milk and combined with mashed potatoes adding some of the cooking milk and butter to taste. Parsnips are a staple in winter stews and casseroles and work really well with white fish.

Try our Parsnip Soup Spiced with Nutmeg.

Not supermarket apples which are stored at 0^oC for up to a year in warehouses, but good traditional English apples. Blemishes or rough skin will not kill you, the shiny, huge tasteless apples of the supermarket are perfect but bland. Try apples with real flavour, bite, tartness and crispness embrace the different verities. My favourite are russets, deep rusty brown matt skins with crisp creamy white flesh and in my opinion the perfect balance of sweet bitterness. Use your nose, the fragrance of an apple is a good indicator of freshness and quality. So go out and find a proper apple! There are also wonderful cooking verities to make into pies, tarts, crumbles, jams and chutneys.

Try our tart Bramley Apple Crumble.

Sweet succulent and sexy, oysters have a reputation for being a love or hate food. At one time oysters were so cheap they were used to bulk out meat pies and were considered a food of the poor, now due to over harvesting and pollution they have become rarer and are now one of the most indulgently expensive foods. Rumour has it that Casanova, perhaps the world's best known lover claimed that his secret to securing a passionate love was to eat 50 raw oysters every day for life. Oysters are also remarkably low in fat and packed with healthy vitamins such as zinc, calcium, copper, iodine and magnesium. Oysters can be a little intimidating the thought of eating a live mollusc is not to everyone's taste, if you would like to try oysters but can't quite face a raw one then try poaching them gently or grilling with a little butter.

Try our Angels on Horseback recipe.

Totally refreshing at a time when food is hearty and warming, satsumas provide a much needed zing. They are also a healthy alternative to all that chocolate, at only 23 calories each and packed with Vitamin C, they also help keep those winter colds at bay. Satsumas although not grown in the UK been imported at Christmas time for hundreds of years, and have become a part of Christmas tradition. I like satsumas as they are, but they do make a great juice with oranges and cranberries. I do for both flavour and effect use a Satsuma in my heart warming mulled wine though.

Try our Mulled Wine.

The best Brill are caught in December in British waters. Similar to Turbot but much less expensive, Brill is a succulent slightly sweet white fleshed fish. Brill is delicious simply cooked. It can be poached, steamed, fried, seared or grilled, then served with a classic French sauce such as champagne beurre blanc. When buying Brill try and avoid smaller immature fish, look for a thick fish with bright unsunken eyes, a fish weighing 1.5kg will yield four good sized fillets.

Try our Brill in Red Wine Sauce with Orange Braised Chicory.