“To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold”

– Aristotle

Christmas is over, New Years has rung, and there are crisp, cold mornings aplenty. Winter is well and truly upon us.

January can be tough at the best of times, so much so that Blue Monday, the most depressing day of the year, is on Monday the 18th (if you believe the marketers!). And for some people there’s little about the winter to get excited about. As always though, a small shift in outlook can make all the difference, which is where food can really help out.

Whether it’s the Spanish concept of Sobremesa (occasionally eating until you can eat no more, and then just relaxing and chatting with family), Danish Hygge (fresh air, exercise, comforting food and general cosiness), Icelandic Þetta Reddast (it will all work out) or Welsh Hwyl (doing it with gusto), it’s no surprise that good food makes all the difference in our enjoyment of the colder months.

Of course, we’re still deep in comfort food season, with soups, stews, pies and roasts high on the agenda. But many of us are also looking ahead to the longer, warmer days, and keen to look after ourselves and prepare for the spring and summer ahead.

In season fruit and veg is more restricted, as you can see in the smaller chart below but there are plenty of ingredients that are actually at their best right now. Couple that with the fantastic quality of frozen and forced items, and there’s every reason to be excited about the possibilities.

So why not take inspiration from the Seasonal foods table below, or hunker down and try one of our tried and tested winter warmer suggestions?

Ingredients	Jan	Feb	Mar
Apple
Beef
Beetroot
Bramley Apple
Broccoli (sprouting)
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Celeriac
Celery
Chestnut
Chicken
Clementine
Cod
Date
Goose
Jerusalem Artichoke
Kale

Ingredients	Jan	Feb	Mar
Lamb
Leek
Mussels
Orange
Pak Choi
Parsnip
Pear
Pork
Potato (stored)
Radicchio
Rabbit
Salsify
Swede
Sweet Potato
Turnip
Venison
Whiting