​Seasonal, healthy recipes to try in January

With the excess of Christmas now a distant memory, most of us are looking for ways to enjoy tasty, nutritious and delicious meals in January, with an emphasis on seasonal food and healthy ingredients. At Wares of Knutsford, we always find this is a big month for canning too, and many of our customers stock up on Mason jars and glass jars for food preservation purposes, as well as for food storage and presentation. Glass jars are always a great choice in the kitchen as they are eco-friendly, cost-effective and they look wonderful too!

So, which seasonal vegetables can we look for in this notoriously chilly month?

Seasonal vegetables in January

Some of the most common seasonal vegetables for January in the UK are Brussels sprouts, cabbage (including Savoy varieties), cauliflower, leeks, kale, parsnips and swede. In terms of fruits, you can also find plenty of apples and pears (if they have been carefully stored), cranberries, imported oranges and pomegranates, which are wonderful for adding a burst of flavour and colour to desserts and salad dishes.

Seasonal recipes to try in January

This is a great month for simple cooking, and soups and winter salads are the ideal choice. Why not try a winter vegetable soup to pack in plenty of your five a day and to make use of veg which might be past its best? Simply cut away any browning sections and make use of your vegetable drawer!

To make vegetable soup, saute onion and garlic with chopped seasonal vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes and kale, and then simmer the veggies in a vegetable broth or stock of your choice, until the veg is soft. Use herbs such as rosemary and thyme to add flavour, and season the soup well before blitzing it with a blender. You can stir in a little creme fraiche or mascarpone if you wish before serving. This soup will taste wonderful with a slice of sourdough bread and any leftover cheeses and chutneys you might have sitting in those glass jars from Christmas!

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pecans and Cranberries This makes a wonderful side dish, and it's very easy to make. Simply toss Brussels Sprouts in olive oil and then roast them in the oven - perhaps while you're cooking a joint - until they take on a golden brown colour. For the last ten minutes, add a handful of pecans and cranberries. Before serving, drizzle the veg with balsamic glaze and add plenty of seasoning.

Citrus and Avocado Salad

Most of us tend to crave light and fresh flavours after Christmas, and this is a great salad base that you can adjust to taste. Toss together your chosen mixed greens with citrus segments, sliced avocado, mild red onion (finely sliced) and dressing. Add a few walnuts if you wish. It's easy to adjust this salad by adding extras, such as pumpkin seeds and cubed cucumber, to make a hearty salad that will work as a main meal or a side dish.

Lentil Salad with Roasted Winter Vegetables This is another light and easy dish with an emphasis on seasonal vegetables. Chop a selection of vegetables, place them on a tray and sprinkle with some olive oil before roasting them in the oven. Add cooked brown lentils and toss the mixture together with some balsamic vinegar and solid oil of your choice. Add cubed feta cheese if you like and a handful of nuts and seeds for a truly delicious and vitamin-packed meal. This lentil salad also works very well for lunch as you can carry and serve it in Mason jars.

Butternut squash risotto

If you still have squashes left over from your summer garden, try a delicious risotto to bring out their natural sweetness and warming flavours. Saute a chopped onion and garlic in a large heavy-bottomed pan, add arborio rice and cook over a low heat until the rice is translucent. Add hot vegetable stock as you stir the rice and allow the rice to absorb the stock. A few minutes before serving, add roasted chunks of butternut squash, chopped kale if you wish and plenty of delicious grated parmesan cheese.

These winter recipes all make use of seasonal vegetables and will help to keep you fit and healthy as we move through the dark month of January! If you batch cook, you can store individual portions in glass jars and place them in the fridge, with labels identifying each dish and the day that you made it, saving you time and making sure you have something tasty and delicious to hand when hunger strikes!

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