We’ve been digging up the stuff in season this month (not literally!) and sourced some of our favourite My Kitchen Table recipes to put the ingredients to the test!

Just some of the vegetables that are great to eat right now are leeks, jerusalem artichokes, brussel sprouts, cabbage, carrots, celeriac, celery, greens, kale, onions, parsnips, potatoes, shallots, squash, swede, turnips.

• Leeks – Try Ainsley Harriot’s Turkey, leek and mushroom pie

(Fun facts: did you know…? Leeks are the national flower of Wales, and were first worn by Welsh soldiers to distinguish themselves from their Saxon enemies on the battle field. Also, historically, Hippocrates (the father of medicine) prescribed the leek as a cure for nosebleeds. Perhaps don’t try that one at home…)

• Celeriac: Try Rosemary Conley’s celeriac and nutmeg soup

(Did you know…? Celeriac is also known as knob celery and the hollow stalk of the upper plant will sometimes be cut into drinking straw lengths, rinsed, and used in the serving of tomato-based drinks such as the Bloody Mary cocktail.)

• Cabbage: Try Madhur Jaffrey’s cabbage stir fried with red pepper paste.

(Did you know…? Cabbage was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans for its medicinal properties; Cato the Elder is said to have declared “It is the cabbage that surpasses all other vegetables”)

• Potatoes: Try Raymond Blanc’s gratin dauphinoise

(Did you know…? In 19th century Europe, French physician Antoine Parmentier studied the potato intensely and in Examen chymique des pommes de terres (Paris, 1774) showed their enormous nutritional value. King Louis XVI and his court eagerly promoted the new crop, with Queen Marie Antoinette even wearing a headdress of potato flowers at a fancy dress ball. Just a thought, though – Marie might’ve worked the headdress but we’d recommend sticking to the gratin!)

Got any more fun facts and / or recipes for this month’s seasonal veg? Let us know!