Flavours of December
Madalene Bonvini-Hamel, who runs the British Larder pub and restaurant in Bromeswell, Suffolk, looks at December's prime ingredients
December is the month for celebrating and eating well. Luxurious foods such as venison, truffles and goose feature on most festive menus. The smell of roasting chestnuts and Vacherin Mont d'Or and the sound of popping Champagne corks adds to the festive spirit. It's also the perfect season for imported exotic fruits such as pomegranates, medjool dates, papayas and mangoes.
The turkey and goose supplies are starting to flow. Fresh cranberries are plentiful for that all-important home-made cranberry sauce.
Cranberries
Cranberries are from evergreen shrubs, and are traditionally harvested by flooding the plains with water and collecting the ripe fruits when they float to the surface.
Chestnuts
Sweet chestnuts are used in a large variety of sweet and savoury dishes and are available in plenty of different formats, including sweetened or unsweetened purées, vacuum-packed, fresh, dried, ground and frozen. Compared with other nuts, chestnuts contain a higher amount of starch and water and less fat and protein. This means they can be dried and turned into flour.
Iron Bark Pumpkin
This is a winter squash. It is large with a silver iron-coloured smooth skin and a bright orange flesh, which is dense and meaty.
Celeriac
Celeriac is derived from wild celery, and is grown as a root vegetable rather than for its stem and leaves. With its knobbly exterior and smooth silky white interior, celeriac has a distinctive, nutty celery taste and an unexpected low starch content.
Brussels Sprouts
Love them or loathe them, the token sprout is a must on every festive plate. Brussels sprouts are from the Brassicaceae family and are a cultivar of wild cabbage.
DECEMBER'S seasonal delights
Brussels sprouts, carrots, cauliflower, celeriac, celery, chicory, clams, clementines, cod, coley, cranberries, duck, goose, grouse, guinea fowl, haddock, hake, halibut, hazelnuts, Jerusalem artichokes, John Dory, langoustines, leeks, lemon sole, mackerel, monkfish, mussels, oysters, parsnips, plaice, pomegranates, quince, red cabbage, salsify, satsumas, scallops, sea bass, sea bream, sea kale, skate, squid, swede, tangerines, turbot, turkey
Wild foods for December Chestnuts, grouse (until 10 December), hare, mallard, nettles, partridge, pheasant, sea beet, sea purslane, teal, venison, walnuts, wigeon, wild rabbit, wood pigeon, woodcock
RECIPES
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Iron Bark Pumpkin and Chestnut Soup >>
Roasted Goose with Celeriac Cream, Goose and Cranberry Faggots >>
Bitter Chocolate and Chestnut Truffle Cake >>