18 January recipes

Kale

A cruciferous veg related to cabbage, broccoli and cauliflower, kale has flat or tightly curled leaves (this variety is called curly kale) that grow around a central stalk. It comes in a few colours, including green and purple. Try to find whole-leaf kale so you can hold the stalk with one hand and pull the leaf from it with the other. Shredded kale comes with the stem still attached, which can be tough. After kale has been massaged, as in the recipe below, try roasting for 5-8 mins in a hot oven for moreish kale crisps – they’re not too dissimilar to the crispy seaweed you might get with a Chinese takeaway. Discover more kale recipes.

Almond-crusted chicken with marinated kale and sumac salad

Make this salad to reset at the start of the new year – it’s filling, crunchy, fresh and vibrant, and good for you. It packs well for lunchboxes, too.

Sweet potatoes

Although the orange variety is the most popular in the UK, you can also find purple or white sweet potatoes. And, despite their name, they’re not actually related to potatoes – instead, sweet potatoes are a root veg that work well as an alternative to potatoes in most recipes, including fries, mash, roasties and jackets. Their flesh is soft and creamy when cooked, with a distinct sweetness that lends itself nicely to cakes and bakes as well as savoury dishes. Sweet potatoes are a good source of fibre, vitamins B and C, and beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A once eaten. Discover more ways with sweet potatoes.

Sweet potato and coconut tray curry

This easy vegan one-pot sweet potato curry makes for a hassle-free dinner. The toasted coconut and coriander topping takes the flavours up an extra notch.

Turnips

Often overlooked, turnips are a wonderful vegetable, steeped in British history. They were a main source of food before the arrival of the potato, and deserve another turn in the limelight. With a mildly peppery taste, they lend themselves to roasting, which brings out their natural sweetness. They pair excellently with cheese, bacon, vinegar (try pink pickled turnips) and strong, punchy salsas, like the chimichurri in the recipe below. Find more turnip inspiration.

Baked fish with roasted turnips, feta and chimichurri

Turnips' mild and peppery taste lend themselves to roasting, bringing out their natural sweetness and pairing excellently with the punchy chimichurri salsa.

Bananas

Once a tropical delicacy that was a rarity, bananas are now available year-round, and are in abundance thanks to modern food logistics and transportation methods. They’re the base for many signature recipes, such as the banana split, banana bread, smoothies and, of course, banoffee pie. They’re versatile and help bridge a seasonal gap when winter stores of fruit and veg have run out, but the early spring produce is yet to arrive. Discover more banana desserts.

Biscoff banoffee pie

This biscoffee pie, if you will, brings joy and variety to your table with its layered smooth biscoff cream, sliced banana and silky caramel filling.

Pears

Pears are picked when mature, not ripe, so they might still be firm when you add them to your shopping basket. To check for ripeness, apply pressure at the top near the stem – if the fruit yields slightly, it’s good to go. Find more pear recipes here.

Sausage, pear and parsnip traybake

Serve these delicious roast sausages with parsnip, pear and red onion. Ready in under an hour, pair with your favourite potatoes and steamed veg.

Purple sprouting broccoli

This variety is actually quicker to prepare and cook than standard broccoli. Simply trim the stems and boil or steam for a shorter time – the tender stalks and florets will cook through much more rapidly.

Charred purple sprouting broccoli with tahini yogurt and spiced seeds

Charred purple sprouting broccoli, coated in a tahini yogurt and topped with spiced seeds, makes a sophisticated starter or light lunch. It’s best to cook the broccoli by stir-frying or griddling. Discover more purple sprouting broccoli recipes here.

Lemons

olive tip: Got a wooden chopping board that needs a good clean? Use some coarse salt and half a lemon to gently scrub, leave for a few minutes then rinse thoroughly and dry. The lemon will help remove stains and get rid of any odours. Find more recipes which use lemon here.

Cardamom and lemon self-saucing pudding

Tuck into this cardamom and lemon self-saucing pudding, a light sponge on top with oozing lemon curd beneath. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, if you like.

Rhubarb

Related to sorrel, this fruit is technically classed as a vegetable. It has thick, fleshy stalks that are sour and floral in flavour. Forced rhubarb, grown under buckets in Yorkshire, is available between January and March, and has more tender, pink stems than spring rhubarb, which is grown outside.

Rhubarb and apple pie

Celebrate tangy, vibrant rhubarb in this fruit pie with latticed shortcrust pastry. Serve with cream, custard, ice cream (or all three!) for a hearty winter pud. Take a look at more rhubarb recipes.

Mussels

Blue or European mussels have shiny, blue shells and are a type of bivalve. When buying, look for those that aren’t chipped or broken and that the shells are all tightly closed. We've got more mussels recipes here.

Tarragon and vermouth mussels

Make the most of mussels in this quick and easy one-pot. Use crusty bread to soak up the creamy tarragon sauce for a simple yet impressive starter.

Grapefruit

From the citrus family, grapefruits are sweet, sour and bitter, and the flesh can be bright pink or yellow. They are great for breakfast, in dressings and salads, or made into marmalade. Check out more grapefruit recipes.

Grapefruit drizzle cake

Swap lemon for grapefruit to put a seasonal spin on this drizzle cake. The sugary crust gives a wonderful texture to the golden loaf.

Parsnips

A root vegetable that is closely related to carrots and parsley. A tip when buying parsnips is to go for the slightly smaller ones, as larger parsnips can be woody in the centre. Here's more parsnip recipes for you to choose from.

Parsnip curry

Sweet and earthy parsnips are cooked with fragrant spices in this nourishing vegan curry. Serve with basmati rice for an easy dinner.

Parsnip and apple soup

Make the most of parsnip season by combining with apples in this rich and creamy soup. Serve with crusty bread for a warming lunch or starter.

Beef and ale stew with parsnips

This hearty stew pairs beef shin with parsnips and ale. Serve with creamy mash on the side for a warming winter dinner.

Seville oranges

Seville oranges are perfect for this recipe as their thick rind gives the marmalade extra bitterness, but you can also use normal oranges. When buying, make sure the skins feel oily – a fingernail dragged along the skin should burst the surface, releasing and orange zest aroma.

Marmalade

This classic marmalade recipe is a wonderful way to spend an afternoon in your warm kitchen and use up a glut of oranges. Adding lemon juice at the end gives a little extra zing to cut through all that sugar.

Pick from more orange recipes, including Seville orange chicken and delicate orange cake.

Beetroot

Beetroots usually come in three main varieties: red, candy and yellow, and will vary in size. Look out for beetroots with their stems and leaves still attached – you can use the stems and leaves like you would chard, and it is also a good indicator of the beetroot's freshness. Healthy leaves equals healthy beets.

Borscht

There’s something about the vibrant scarlet hue of borscht that feels rather cheering at this time of year. This is a classic Eastern European soup that in many ways mirrors the Italian minestrone – what you put in it and why can differ from season to season. We’ve opted for a simple winter vegetable version.

Try more beetroot recipes, including beetroot and goat's cheese tagine and a vibrant mackerel and beet salad.

Leeks

When buying leeks, check that the dark green tips are in good condition and make sure that you wash them thoroughly – they're experts at trapping dirt between the layers.

Don’t ditch the dark green ends of your leeks either, they are tough but quickly cooking in some oil or butter will soften them up.

Leek risotto

Treat yourself to our beautifully creamy leek risotto with a fried anchovy and breadcrumb topping. The key to the perfect risotto is patience.

Chicken and leek bake

When it comes to easy and convenience, a traybake is hard to beat. Here, the sweet oniony-ness of leeks and the depth of flavour that chicken thighs and bacon bring, plus richness from cheese sauce and crunch from breadcrumbs, makes for a comforting midweek meal.

Check out more leek recipes, including a super green vegetarian lasagne and comforting leek and potato soup.

Apples

There are more than 2,000 varieties of British apple – and we don’t think we eat enough of them! Any variety will work in these muffins, but a crisp, tart eating apple will give them extra zing. Look for shiny, unblemished apples when buying.

Apple and cinnamon muffins

These muffins make for an easy breakfast or snack. You can swap out the wholemeal for plain flour in this recipe but we think it adds lovely nuttiness and texture.

Try more apple recipe ideas, including old-school apple crumble, apple pie and tarte tatin.