19 November recipes

Pork

Pork was traditionally eaten in months ending in ‘r’ – in those months it is colder and, due to the lack of refrigeration, this stopped the meat from spoiling as quickly as in the hotter months.

Pork belly with beans and pistou

Pistou is a French sauce made simply with garlic, fresh basil and olive oil. It's perfect for spooning over this dish of slow-cooked pork with silky cannellini beans.

Pumpkins

Pumpkins are a type of winter squash with a sweet, delicate flavour and pleasing yellow-orange flesh when you cut through the hardy orange or green skin. They are incredibly versatile – steam and purée to fold into cake batters, sweet pies and breads, or roast in chunks and stir through risottos, salads, soups and sandwiches. You can eat the seeds, too – roast the washed and dried seeds in olive oil until crisp and toasted, and use as a topping for salads and soups.

Pumpkin curry

Make the most of pumpkin season with this easy, warming one-pot.

Kale

One of the most well-known and versatile cruciferous vegetables. It has flat or tightly curled leaves (called curly kale) around a thick stalk and comes in a few colours, including green and purple. Try to find whole-leaf kale so you can pull the leaf from the very tough stalk yourself. Pre-shredded kale comes with the stem still attached, which can be tough when eaten raw or blanched. Once massaged, try roasting for 5-8 mins to create moreish crisps, similar to crispy seaweed.

Sautéed kale with caramelised onions and anchovies

Combine sweet caramelised onions and salty anchovies with kale to make this easy but impressive side dish, perfect for pairing with roast meats.

Brussels sprouts

Brussels sprouts are part of the cabbage family. When buying, look for bright green outer leaves that are tightly wrapped around each other.

Sticky miso roast sprouts

There are so many ways to make the most of sprouts while they're in season –here, they're slicked with umami-packed miso and zingy lime, and roasted until golden and caramelised.

Clementines

A type of mandarin that is small and sweet, and is in season over the winter months. When buying, look for unblemished skin.

Clementine posset

These silky, zesty desserts only require 15 minutes of hands-on time but look really impressive – perfect if you're hosting a dinner party or planning a special meal.

Pears

There are thousands of pear varieties but the most commonly found ones are Conference, Comice, Red Williams and Concorde. When buying, look for pears that have a little give at the top or bottom – they ripen from the inside out – and avoid any that are bruised or mushy.

Pear, ginger and almond tart

Impress at your next dinner party with this frangipane tart, studded with juicy pears and flavoured with warming stem ginger.

Celeriac

Derived from wild celery and similar in flavour, celeriac is a large, bulbous root with thick skin. It also sometimes comes with a bunch of wild celery still attached (you can use this as you would celery). Its crunchy, nutty, creamy and firm flesh makes it extremely versatile – use in curries, slaws, salads and soups. Buy it with the leaves on, if possible, as they are the best indication of freshness and quality. Check out more celeriac recipes here.

Celeriac shawarma

Here, humble celeriac is given punchy flavour with a marinade of garlic, honey, cumin, ginger and paprika, before being roasted in the oven to bring out its tender, silky texture.

Curried celeriac

Celeriac works really well in this curry as the roasted cubes soak up the flavours of the spices. Serve with steamed rice for a warming vegan dinner.

Venison

Wild venison is a wonderfully lean meat and is incredibly versatile. With its slight gamey taste it can be paired with strong flavours and can be used similarly to beef. Sear steaks on a barbecue or griddle pan, and serve with mash for a wintery dish, or slice and serve with red fruits in a summery salad. It can be slow-cooked, roasted or stir-fried. It’s one of the most sustainable meats to eat, high in protein and low in cholesterol.

Venison steaks with caraway crushed swede

Pair venison steaks with buttery crushed swede in this winter warmer – it will be ready and on the table in less than an hour.

Venison, thyme and port lattice pie

Rich venison in port gravy is encased in buttery lattice pastry to create the ultimate winter pie – serve with potatoes and greens for a weekend treat.

Duck

With a rich, gamey flavour, duck can handle being paired with strong, punchy flavours. It has a thick layer of fat covering it that needs to be rendered, but this makes for delicious meat. The breast is best eaten medium or blushing pink inside; the legs should be slow-cooked or confited, as they do in France. Take a look at more duck recipes here.

Hoisin duck

Serve this sticky hoisin duck with vegetable fried rice for a speedy weeknight dinner to feed two. The secret to good fried rice is using cooked, fridge-cold rice. This gets crispy and fluffy without the worry of it overcooking, breaking down and becoming mushy.

Dates

Dates are the fruit of date palms, which originate in the Middle East. The fruit grows in clusters at the top of the palms, more than 50 feet off the ground. They have an intense sweetness and mild fruitiness, making them great to use in both savoury and sweet dishes.

Peanut butter and date flapjacks

Turn a handful of storecupboard ingredients into an easy bake. Mixed seeds and a peanut butter drizzle make these flapjacks look impressive but they only need 10 minutes hands-on time.

Winter Cabbage

Savoy is the most popular of the winter cabbages, with crinkly leaves and fairly dense, packed heads compared to the spring/ summer varieties such as spring greens. You can avoid any unpopular cabbage smells by roasting the leaves instead of boiling them, and they gain a smoky flavour by charring them first. You can also stir-fry, air-fry or barbecue cabbage to make the most of its flavour.

Charred winter cabbage with caesar dressing and bacon croutons

A comforting medley of charred cabbage (we suggest Savoy), chunky sourdough croutons, bacon bits and a quick yogurt and anchovy dressing.

Leeks

From the same family as onions and garlic but with a sweeter flavour. Choose small or medium leeks, as larger ones tend to be a bit woody. Leeks are incredibly versatile and can be used in place of onions in most recipes – just remember to cook them well, as they can be raw-tasting and stringy if undercooked. Discover more leek recipes here.

Leek carbonara

The oniony kick of leeks adds a richness to classic carbonara. Freeze any left-over egg whites in a small sealed container – they defrost quickly and are handy for making a pavlova or Swiss meringue buttercream.

Leek fritters

Softened leeks and cheddar cheese come together in these golden fritters – serve with a watercress salad for an easy veggie dinner, or top with avocado for a weekend brunch.

Caramelised baby leeks with balsamic

The balsamic vinegar adds sweet and sour notes to the savoury, oniony depth of the baby leeks. Serve these alongside a simple roast chicken or fish.

Swede

Also known as rutabaga or neeps, swede is a root vegetable that’s a cross between a cabbage and a turnip. It has a mild cabbage flavour, with a hint of spicy mustardy pepperiness. Traditionally mashed with potato (neeps and tatties) or with carrot, it can also be thinly sliced and layered with cream in a gratin, roasted in wedges with cheese, or simply mashed with butter. It’s also the traditional veg in a Cornish pasty. Make the swede the hero of your dish by roasting with spices and tossing through noodles or pasta.

Gochujang swede noodles

Roast cubes of swede in a sweet and salty gochujang dressing for a moreish, simple midweek noodle dish.

Mussels

These dark blue/black, shiny shelled bivalves are best eaten when the waters are cool, from October to March. Look for fresh, live mussels rather than pre-cooked, to ensure freshness. Discard any with chipped or broken shells, give them a sharp tap on a worksurface to make sure they close, and discard any that don’t. Remove their beards – the tuft of fibres sometimes attached to the mussel. This is where they’ve attached themselves to the seabed or rope, if rope-grown. Surprisingly quick and easy to cook, mussels can be an effortless yet impressive main. Simply steam and stir into rice or pasta dishes, or serve on their own with fries.

Popcorn mussels

Serve these crispy breaded mussels as a pre-dinner snack or canapé at your next party, with sriracha mayo, hot honey vinegar and ranch dressing for dipping.

Mussel flatbreads with tarragon butter

Serve these flatbreads soaked in mussel butter and topped with tarragon as an impressive starter or light snack with drinks.