Winter

This is the season to cosy up indoors and keep warm per excellence. Some love it, some hate it, however, I must confess that I like Winter. I kind of see this season as a necessary evil for it provides a forced rest in the garden which can be beneficial for the soil. Also, it is the time of the end of the year festivities, the start of a brand New Year's good resolutions and let's not forget... Pancake day! Even if it is chilly, rainy, snowy, frosty or windy outside, there is plenty to warm your heart during Winter, from the family and friends gathering around the X-mas table to the joyous welcome of a New Year passing by the charity/good spirits displayed by many around that time. Not only that it is the moment when sharing and solidarity during the worst weather mean so much for everyone, like a candle in the wind which can not be extinguished, like a beacon of steadfast hope. Somehow a lot of love shown during that time is displayed by the sharing of food prepared with a lot of tenderness and care. Care is the word at the heart of the Winter months: 'It is bitterly cold and harsh out there, take care.' In our home, this season is when slow simmering Stews sing to our souls Home Sweet Home when hearty soups warm us up when lovely bakes such as Cauliflower Cheese or Ham wrapped Chicory Gratin make us salivate in advance. To my eyes, Winter is Comfort Food Heaven. Paradoxically, it is not all about Humble Food, because with the festivities Luscious Food gets thrown into the mix: the perfect blend. Let's not forget also that this season when we all expect bleak months and for our ancestors, some sort of food scarcity taught us the art of making the most of our larders and leftovers, in a sense a true respect for what goes upon our plates.  

Winter Ingredients

Winter Ingredients

Preserves, Jams, Chutneys and Conserves

About Preserves, Jams, Chutneys and Conserves

Winter Festivities

Winter Festivities

Pies, Bakes and Gratins

Pies, Bakes and Gratins