Reach for the stars

Tom Norrington-Davies brings parsnips, sprouts, carrots, cabbage and Jerusalem artichokes centre stage, so they can take pride of place on your Christmas table.

December always catches me unawares. How can it be such a hop, skip and a jump from the first frosty morning of autumn to that windswept evening when I realise I’m the last person on my street to decorate my front room? Time seems to mysteriously speed up. It’s as if the year is racing to its conclusion, trying to beat its very own personal best.

That which is in season is the starting point for everything I buy and cook. It isn’t always easy. On occasion it means developing a bit of tunnel vision in the bright glare of a supermarket aisle, but the payback is stimulating: spanking fresh produce that is often a bit of a bargain to boot. Can I tempt you to seek out your nearest farmers’ market or make friends with a greengrocer: it really will make a difference to your life.

Funnily enough, if there is a time of year when the shops are all brimming with the best of the season, it is now. It is ironic that the darkest, coldest month seems to hold such bounty!

The choice of locally grown produce, considering it is such a bleak time of year, is bewildering.

When it comes to Christmas, most of us are sticklers for tradition. There must be sprouts, even though so many people claim to detest the poor little blighters. There should also be parsnips, one of the few vegetables to enjoy a bit of frostbite – it makes them sweeter. Talking of sweetness, this is the time of year when everyone really is a fruit-and-nutcase, and for those without room for Christmas cake, there are poached pears, compotes of quinces or baked apples.

The choice of locally grown produce, considering it is such a bleak time of year, is bewildering. Given that there is so much to choose from, what follows is a collection of my personal must-haves for the December table. There is no need to wait until the big day to try any of them – although none will be out of place posing as part of ‘all the trimmings’. Whatever you decide to serve up on 25 December.