Seasonal Winter Vegetables and Fruits - Perfect for Enamelware Recipes

As we move into the Christmas season, it's all too easy to end up eating delicious treats and forgetting to focus on our healthy fruits and vegetables! But seasonal vegetables, in particular, are packed with vitamins, minerals and beneficial compounds that protect our health and keep us well in the colder months. A diet rich in plant-based foods is an investment in our well-being, so what better reason is there to discover some new recipes for winter that make use of these tasty, low-cost and nutritional powerhouses?

Even better, seasonal vegetables tend to be around in gluts, even in winter, and many of the tastiest recipes are also very easy. Typical vegetables in season for winter include chard, autumn cabbage, sweet, beetroot, red cabbage, onions, carrots, parsnips and chanterelles.

Vegetables in Season for Christmas

Here are some of our favourite ideas for bringing seasonal vegetables into your Christmas baking and cooking, saving you money, lightening the calorie load and getting plenty of that all-important nutrition into your meals at a time when you need it most.

1. Vegetable pan bake

One of the easiest ways of all to enjoy seasonal vegetables is to wash, prepare and cut your chosen veg into chunks, toss them in oil and seasoning, add a few cloves of garlic and a squeeze of lemon and bake them in the oven at around 160c for 30-40 minutes. A drizzle of balsamic vinegar will bring out the sweetness, and this is one of those dishes that can be prepared slowly at the bottom of your oven while a joint is roasting. Either serve the vegetables with your main meal or whizz them up with some fresh vegetable stock and perhaps a little creme fraiche for a ready soup that just needs some freshly baked bread as the perfect accompaniment.

2. Winter baked casserole

This BBC Good Food recipe is a simple and nourishing one-pot veggie casserole, packed with celeriac, beans and root vegetables and topped with hearty dumplings. It's great to serve after an afternoon of walking, and very easy to make. Even better, you can adjust the vegetables to accommodate what you have in your kitchen, especially as you become familiar with the basics of the dish. Experiment with different herbs and flavours, and add a few high-quality sausages to make it into a heartier, meat-based dish.

Here's a great recipe to try, and even better, you can prepare it ahead using an enamel pan and then pop it in the oven at the appropriate time while you enjoy a little glass of something! https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/celeriac_and_bean_stew_64448

Pear Crumble - As you like it

Pears are also in season in November, and enamelware is a great choice if you fancy lighter Christmas baking and hot, hearty puddings filled with flavour and nutrition. Pear crumble is great if you have a glut from the garden or allotment still to use, and pears are also a wonderful ingredient for combining with other flavours such as chocolate or marzipan. This delicious recipe from BBC Good Food combines pears with hazelnuts for an absolute crowd-pleaser. Even better, the crumble is easy to make, and you can use your enamel pan or enamelware dish to serve the dessert as well as to cook it in the oven: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/pear-crumble.

Roasted Giant Garlic

If you're using the oven to cook dinner, it makes sense to max out the shelves with different dishes and get the most value you can. If you can get hold of elephant garlic, this is an absolute treat of a dish, as the extra-large bulbs have a far milder flavour than regular garlic. However, even standard garlic takes on a soft, sweet and almost 'melt in your mouth' consistency when it is slowly roasted in the oven with a little oil, seasoning and balsamic. The trick is to go low and long so that the flavours really develop. Here's a recipe to inspire you: https://tastylicious.com/how-to-roast-elephant-garlic/.

Check out our kitchen shop!

If you're thinking of upgrading your own kitchen essentials or looking to gift some high-quality kitchenware such as enamelware, tagines, fondues or international cookware for passionate cooks, check out our kitchen shop! We're regularly updating our product lines with exciting new releases just in time for the gifting season, and you'll find something for everyone. Even better, we only stock high-quality kitchenware which is designed to last the test of time, so our products are investment pieces that will really add something to your loved ones' kitchens.

As well as a fantastic range of kitchenware, we are proud to offer superb prices, fast delivery and excellent service, so discover the Wares of Knutsford difference today! Remember to sign up for our newsletter as well for all of the latest news, product releases, competitions and inspo and tag us on your social media photos so we can share your creations with the Wares community!