Winter food - Jill Norman

Cold weather provokes appetite; food eaten around the fire or in a warm kitchen provides sustenance and comfort as wind and rain prevail outside. The warming touch of spices enhances casseroles and flavours mulled wine and hot toddies. Gardens, orchards and fields may be dormant, but there are the vegetables, fruits and nuts of the harvest, from squash and celeriac to chestnuts and quinces. Even if forests and moorlands are in the grip of cold, game is still hunted to provide pheasant, wild duck, venison and hare. With influences from as far afield as northern China and South America, Scandinavia, eastern Europe and the mountain villages of Italy, Winter Food focuses on making the best use of the season's foods, providing a rich variety of dishes for us to enjoy in the shorter days and longer nights.