As the cold, long winter nights really kick in we can really enjoy lots of hearty, filling dishes and great tasting produce such as game, clementines and delicious shellfish. We finish off the month with perhaps the biggest food feast of the year Christmas Day Lunch and all the delicious Christmas dishes and culinary treats.
Vegetables
There is an abundance of root vegetables available in December for soups, stews, and roasting; carrots, celeriac, swede, parsnips ( always better after the first frost they seem to be sweeter ) and don’t forget beetroot which is particularly delicious as a roasted vegetable with some olive oil, thyme, plenty of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and perhaps a drizzle of honey . Butternut squash, Brussel sprouts, cauliflowers, celery, chicory, cabbage, kale, salsify, and shallots are readily available as are the season’s main crop potatoes.
Fruit and Nuts
Dried dates, chestnuts, clementine’s and cranberries, which are a good source of vitamin C and manganese are Christmas staples and available alongside native apples and pears. It is possible to import bananas, passion fruits, pineapples, pomegranates and tangerines and almonds, Brazil nuts and hazelnuts.
It is also the season for imported white and black truffles.
Fish and Shellfish
Clams, lobsters, mussels, oysters, scallops, and squid, as well as cod, Dover souls, haddock, mackerel, monkfish, pollock, skate, and turbot, are all freely available when boats can sail, on a cold day a bowl of steaming mussels is a perfect lunchtime treat.
Meat
Duck and wild duck, partridge, pheasant, grouse, guinea fowl, and venison are all in season as well as the Christmas Turkey or Goose ready for your dinner on the 25th December.
The Online Cookery School 
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