What Winter Tastes Like

The cold is nudging us into the holiday season, even while it’s getting a bit harder to get out of bed in the morning. Your friends are waiting on a fab year-end plan, and even your colleagues are just a bit nicer to be around right now. So, what’s better than holiday plans? Holiday food.

But, believe it or not, there’s life even beyond the cookies and cakes of Christmas. Funnily, for a cold time time of the year, winter sure does evoke imagery of warmer things – packed snugly in your favourite sweater maybe, or maybe perched on your sofa hugging a hot mug of chocolate, or maybe sprawled on a sunny beach in Goa somewhere (how come we never get bored of that!)

Got us thinking. What could warm your heart this winter that you could cook up in your kitchen with a little bit of fuss? Coz food goes straight to the heart, right?

Stew

A stew is to winter what a lime cooler is to summer. How could you not want to be simmering some juicy pieces of meat or chicken, and winter vegetables in a pot on your stove? How could it not be the perfect recipe for a chilly night, when all you need is some good company, something nice to put on the telly, and some hot food for the hungry belly? Simple things in life can sometimes be so sensational!

Down south, close to home, there’s a particular stew from God’s Own that we love. The legendary Kerala Stew goes well with appams, dosas, and it’s also just as fine if all you can spare it are a spoon and a deep bowl.

Pumpkin Soup

A good soup is great for a broken heart. It’s also great for sorting you out on a chilly night after a long day at work. Pumpkins are so underrated. They make a wonderful addition to your kitchen. So many things you can do with them, and a soup happens to be our favourite! It’s silky texture is comforting and it breathes life back into your bones as you start your meal with a bowlful. It’s a great way to start off a meal at a dinner party or you could pair it with some toasted garlic bread if all you want is a light supper (if you’re into that kind of thing).

Oven Roasted Chicken

A Christmas Special! Throw in some winter veggies like potatoes, turnips, spring onions and asparagus, and leave the skin on for a gorgeous colour and a crackling crispy crust!  Ugly Christmas sweater: Optional.

The key to a good roast chicken is in the seasoning. Here’s a tip for you: season your chicken with kosher or sea salt, if you can get your hands on some.  Table salt has a high iodine content that can leave your dish with a slightly bitter or metallic taste.

Very few things are better than a Sunday roast! Watch the temperature and time, and get that chicken cooked perfectly well and you’ll be that person to give your family and friends that lovely Christmassy- winter dinner that they’ll never forget you for!

Dumplings (Gyoza)

The Chinese believe dumplings have magic in them. (Hard to disagree, considering sometimes you feel like you need a bit of magic to cook them just right!) They say dumplings bring good fortune. No Chinese new year celebration is complete without them. We know it can sound a bit daunting to make your own dumplings. But trust us, you can make a nice batch without an army of cooks – and much better ones, we might add, than the lumpy, doughy ones we’ve all eaten at restaurants so often (you know it’s true!).

So, call your folks over and work in a chicken or a mushroom dumpling dinner – you know the ones in that steaming soy broth? What a perfect way to spend an evening!

Sticky Toffee Pudding

How could we not include a dessert in the mix? We couldn’t live with ourselves if we didn’t.

Okay, so almost everyone loves a good warm, gooey brownie. And rarely does anything beat that for chocolate lovers. But we know this other Brit modern classic that will simple knock your socks off!

The Sticky Toffee Pudding is a warm sponge cake, with tiny bits of date added in, and covered with warm toffee sauce. This dish was on the most requested on the BBC Good Food blog. And puddings really don’t get any better than this! Make it on a Sunday – but try not to eat it all at once. You need a bit of sunshine throughout the chilly winter week. 🙂

Are you still wondering what winter tastes like?

Go on then, have a bite. Call us or write to us if you need a hand. We love to help people who love to eat good food. 

Have a fine winter!