Seasonal food in January

January, cold, miserable, probably snowy and definitely icy and bound to be wet, thoughts at this time of year turn quite naturally to warming rib-sticking, lip-smacking comfort foods, dishes like steak and kidney pie, Lancashire hot pot, heart-warming casseroles and steamed sponge puddings with lashings of custard.

In the vegetable line nothing new is going to be coming in during January but everything that has been around for the last few months will still be available this month. Brussels sprouts, parsnips, Swedes, cauliflowers and cabbages are all good now and especially red cabbage, (there is something about red cabbages which always makes me think of winter). Slowly braised with cloves, cinnamon, apples, onion, brown sugar and vinegar is the traditional way of eating it but have you tried it as a salad?

For my mind it is simply wonderful, even at this time of year! It is great with all cold meats and pates. Jerusalem Artichokes are still around too and make a great soup, finished with a few toasted almonds and a little truffle oil, it is fit for a king.

How about trying celeriac at this time of year, cook it with potatoes and mash them together for an interesting twist to the norm or even just mashed on its own, try roasting it as though it were parsnip, cut very thinly and then deep fried it makes great crisps too!

Fish can be a bit hit or miss in January depending upon the weather. If the boats are getting out then all of the white-fleshed flaky fish such as Cod, Whiting and Haddock are good now. Scallops, Mussels and Oysters are also very good during the colder months of the year, especially scallops. Available all year round and often regarded as a summer delicacy they are so much better now in the colder months of the year rather than during the summer.

As with everything else fruit is also a bit scarce in January, certainly the only home grown fruit around in any quantity would be apples and pears from store but there is one fruit that comes on to the market in January that always gets my mouth watering while waiting for it to arrive. Forced Rhubarb, its long delicate pink stalks are just sublime, so different to outdoor rhubarb the indoor variety, grown completely in the dark by only a handful of farmers in and around Wakefield (they even hold a rhubarb week in the middle of February) is unique to Yorkshire for some reason.

The season starts in late December and goes on till March although by then the quality does drop off quite considerably. Although slightly tart it is never as acidic and much much sweeter and smoother than its outdoor relative, not only is it great in pies and crumbles but it also makes terrific sauces and the most wonderful sorbet of such a fantastic delicate yet vibrant pink, instead of the drab grey-green of its courser cousin. Oranges in all their various guises are at their best during the bleak winter months look out for the bitter Seville oranges coming into the shops about now, normally used for making marmalade their juice is also delightful when substituted for lemon juice being sour, bitter and orangey all at once.

Clementines, Mandarins, Satsuma's, Tangerines and Kumquats are some of the varieties that are available now. A British Christmas would never be complete without a rich, and creamy Stilton as part of it. Then in January when you are still eating it and possibly getting a little fed up with it the mind turns to wondering what to do with what's left.

Often seen on the menus of restaurants around the country, as they too are desperately trying to use up the off cuts or an over supply of the stuff, it is more often than not seen as a soup, be it Stilton and celery or Stilton and Guinness, Stilton and mushroom Stilton and chestnut, there are hundreds of recipes around for Stilton soups (the majority of which I find repulsive I must admit).

Try making a Stilton dressing instead, or what about a Stilton, bacon and endive salad (all good winter ingredients), or try crumbling it over slices of baked potato, topping it with chopped spring onions and a generous amount of coarsely milled black pepper, popping it under a hot grill for a minute or two until the cheese melts then serve it on a salad of rocket with a grain mustard vinaigrette - simply delicious!