Six ways to fall properly in love with the vegetables that carry us through the dark months
Winter vegetables don’t shout. They don’t flash bright colours or perfume the kitchen the way tomatoes or strawberries do in summer. What they offer instead is depth, reliability, and a quiet confidence born of surviving frost, wind, and poor light. Here on the farm we love clipping recipes to try at home and often we alter them to suit ingredients we have to hand. Here are some of our favourites. Try them just as they are, or do as we do and use them as inspiration but change and alter ingredients to suit your tastes.
Savoy cabbage tightens and sweetens after cold nights. Parsnips and carrots store sunshine underground, concentrating sugars as the temperature drops. Leeks stand patiently all winter, improving rather than deteriorating. Potatoes, swedes, and mushrooms don’t ask for novelty — they ask to be cooked well.
This is food for proper hunger. Food that sustains, comforts, and rewards attention. And in the right hands, winter veg becomes anything but dull.
Below are six unusual, brilliant recipes, each centred on one (or more) of the vegetables you will regularly find in our veg boxes. All come from food writers who know how to let winter produce shine. All are credited and linked so readers can explore further.
1. Savoy Cabbage, Apple & Mustard Cream
by Nigel Slater
Savoy cabbage is often overcooked into submission. Nigel Slater treats it with restraint: lightly wilted, paired with sharp apple and a gentle mustard cream. The result is fresh, almost elegant — proof that cabbage can be subtle and luxurious.
Why it works: sweetness, acidity and fat in perfect balance.
🔗 Recipe: “Savoy cabbage with apples and mustard cream” — Nigel Slater, The Guardian
2. Roasted Parsnips with Dates, Orange & Aleppo Pepper
by Yotam Ottolenghi
Parsnips lean naturally sweet; Ottolenghi leans into it, pairing them with sticky dates, citrus and gentle heat. This is a winter side dish that behaves like a main character.
Why it works: sweetness layered with bitterness, spice and acidity.
🔗 Recipe: “Roasted parsnips with dates and orange” — Yotam Ottolenghi
3. Carrot & Cumin Tatin with Labneh
by Diana Henry
This upside-down tart transforms carrots into something deeply savoury and aromatic. Earthy cumin, caramelised sugars and tangy labneh pull the vegetable firmly out of soup territory.
Why it works: carrots love spice, and pastry gives them structure and drama.
🔗 Recipe: “Carrot and cumin tatin with labneh” — Diana Henry
4. Leek & Potato Soup with Tarragon Oil
by Claire Thomson (5 O’Clock Apron)
A classic, re-imagined. Claire Thomson keeps the soup simple but finishes it with a vivid green tarragon oil that lifts the whole bowl into something restaurant-worthy.
Why it works: familiar comfort with a fresh, herbal edge.
🔗 Recipe: “Leek and potato soup with tarragon oil” — Claire Thomson
5. Swede Gnocchi with Butter, Sage & Hazelnuts
by Rachel Roddy
Swede rarely gets this kind of respect. Rachel Roddy turns it into tender gnocchi, pairing it with nutty butter and sage. Italian technique, northern European produce — completely convincing.
Why it works: swede’s mild sweetness suits butter and nuts beautifully.
🔗 Recipe: “Swede gnocchi with butter and sage” — Rachel Roddy
6. Mushroom & Potato Pie
by Skye Gyngell
Earthy mushrooms and waxy potatoes baked under pastry or mashed topping — this is winter food at its most grounding. Skye Gyngell’s version is restrained, deeply flavoured, and unapologetically comforting.
Why it works: mushrooms bring umami, potatoes bring calm.
🔗 Recipe: “Mushroom and potato pie” — Skye Gyngell
A final thought
Winter vegetables don’t need disguising or apologising for. They need time, good fat, heat, and confidence. Cook them properly and they repay you with food that feels steady, nourishing, and quietly generous — exactly what winter asks of us.
