November: The Calm Before The Christmas Storm

I really like November - it is one of my favourite months of the year.  Cold dark evenings are still a novelty and an excuse to light the fire, there is of course, Bonfire Night and then you start the slow build up to Christmas. You get to enjoy the festive build up before the craziness of Christmas begins in December.

In cooking terms, as the weather gets cold, it is a perfect time for soups, stews and slow cooks.  If you are hosting bonfire night or heading out to see some fireworks, a chilli is always a great option - we have great beef and vegetarian recipes that you can try and you can make a big vat that you can serve with rice, as nachos or with a big pile of jackets.  You could follow it with our caramel apple cake or some chocolate brownies, which are always crowed pleasers.  Seasonal squash, parsnips and celeriac all make a great base for soups - you can stick to classic British flavours with simple herbs or you can add spices, add curry powder to a parsnips soup or Thai curry paste for a butternut squash soup for seasonal flavour.

Cold weather and dark evenings call for hygge style baking.  You could get ahead with making your Christmas cake or filling your freezer with sausage rolls and mince pies if you are hosting Christmas.  If you fancy trying some Skandi style dishes, our Skandi meatballs are proper comfort food and our cinnamon buns are a real showstopper.

If you would like to have a go at some Christmas baking our Christmas baking course contains everything you need, from classics such as my go-to Christmas cake recipe and mince pies, to freezer fillers with sausage rolls and cheese straws, to showstopper gingerbread houses and cinnamon buns and edible gifts with lovely biscotti.