12 February recipes

Swede

Developed in Sweden in the 17th century, a swede is a cross between a cabbage and a turnip. Store them in a brown paper bag in the fridge to keep them fresh for at least a week.

Curried swede soup

This curried swede and coconut soup is the perfect winter warmer to enjoy with freshly baked crusty bread. Find more swede recipes.

Forced rhubarb

Forced rhubarb has a short shelf life. Store in the fridge with the leaves attached to keep it fresher for longer.

Rhubarb and custard crumble bars

Use up seasonal rhubarb in these fruity custard bars, best served with an afternoon brew. The crumble topping adds great crunch, too.

Pork and aromatic rhubarb traybake

Let the oven do most of the work with this aromatic pork and rhubarb traybake, bursting with heat and umami flavour.

Cod

Spiced cod one pot

The trick with cod is to not overcook the flaky flesh. Don’t be afraid to ramp up the flavour, either – its mild taste can take it. When buying, opt for farmed fish or line-caught Pacific cod which is certified by the Marine Stewardship Council.

Take a browse through more cod recipes.

Kale

Kale has risen in popularity due to its robust texture and high nutritional content. Shred it into a salad, roast into crisps or simmer into soups. Remove any tough middle ribs or stalks as they can be quite chewy if not given enough time to soften.

Feta and kale börek

Make the most of the seasonal superfood kale by combining with salty feta in this filo pastry tart. Serve with leafy salads for an easy veggie dinner.

Pick from more kale recipes, including baked kale crisps with smoky paprika salt and kale and gnocchi parmesan bake.

Cauliflower

From the same brassica family as cabbages and broccoli, cauliflower is among the most versatile vegetables. It can be eaten raw in salads, pickled, steamed, grilled, roasted, fried or barbecued. Its firm texture turns creamy when cooked, and it has a delicate flavour that’s often overlooked as an everyday vegetable but it’s made the star of the show in this creamy cauliflower soup.

Vegetarian cauliflower chowder

Celebrate cauliflower season with a comforting bowl of creamy veggie chowder. A pinch of cayenne pepper and mace give a gentle warmth to this soup.

Pick from more cauliflower recipes, including a classic cauliflower soup and creamy cauliflower mash.

Blood oranges

These jewel-like fruits bring a little sunshine to the darker months. The name comes from the ruby red mottling in the flesh of the orange, which is sometimes visible in the skin, too. The oranges develop this colour during the cooler winter nights, and they originated in the southern Mediterranean in the 18th century.

Blood orange tarts

An easy but impressive make-ahead dinner party dessert. With a blood orange and custard filling, zesty homemade pastry and caramelised topping, these tarts are super to wow your guests.

Pick from more blood orange recipes, including blood orange polenta drizzle cake and indulgent blood orange sticky iced buns.

Blood orange curd crêpe cake

Celebrate jewel-like blood oranges to make this impressive layer cake. Use shop-bought crêpes and curd for a speedier dessert.

Pears

Any pears will work for these recipes but some of our favourites are Conference, Red Williams, Comice or Concorde. Make sure you use the fruit at the optimum stage of ripeness as they vary on flavour and texture.

Pear crumble

This is a classic crumble with a thick, crunchy top. Custard or ice cream are non-negotiable! If you’re cooking for adults, a splash of rum, whisky or brandy with the pears works beautifully. Make sure you use ripe pears in this recipe – underripe fruit will result in a less flavourful crumble.

Pick from more pear recipes, including brown butter pear cake and indulgent sherry poached pears with chocolate sauce.

Haddock

When shopping for smoked haddock, try to buy it un-dyed or naturally dyed, as this is often better quality fish. It will also prevent any dye leaching out and ruining the look of the risotto. It should have a natural smoked hue – the artificially dyed variety will be very yellow.

Try more smocked haddock recipes, including smoked haddock fishcakes and haddock curry.

Smoked haddock risotto

These may not seem like obvious bedfellows, but the subtle smokiness of the smoked haddock is uber comforting with the rice, stock and parmesan.

Celeriac

Celeriac is a variety of celery cultivated for its bulbous root. It has a mild celery-like flavour but is much deeper and nuttier, with a pleasing texture once cooked. Try to find it with healthy looking celery and leaves attached at the top – this is a good sign of its freshness.

Check out our favourite celeriac recipes, including celeriac soup and celeriac gratin.

Celeriac rostis with harissa yogurt

Top these seasonal hash browns with crispy fried eggs for a winning brunch.

Cauliflower

A good sign of a cauli’s freshness is its leaves. They should be green and not wilting, as well as the florets being bright white and unblemished. Don’t throw away the leaves or stem – they’re perfectly delicious to eat. Try cauliflower leaves in this vegan cauliflower carbonara.

Choose from our cauliflower ideas, from epic cauliflower cheese to cauliflower korma.

Cauliflower bhajis

A twist on the curry house classic, these crispy bhajis see cauliflower pieces coated in a spiced batter, deep-fried, then served with a lime and coriander yogurt dip.

Cauliflower and broccoli soup

Cosy, nourishing and packed with veg, this warming vegetarian soup recipe comes topped with golden-brown sourdough croutons.