February

Cabbage

There are many varieties of cabbage that are harvested at various times of the year. Winter brings the Savoy, white, green and red cabbages. Raw, cooked or preserved, the cabbage plays an important role in cuisines west and east. It's packed with vitamins, high in iron and potassium and low in calories.

Cabbage is excellent finely sliced and eaten raw in salads. When cooked, the briefest cooking methods, such as steaming or stir-frying, are best. Apart from red cabbage, which breaks the rule and benefits from long cooking, overcooked cabbage releases sulphur which reminds many of bad school meals!

• Stir-fried cabbage with garlic by Neil Perry
• Miso cod with deep-fried cabbage and pink peppercorn dressed cabbage by James Martin
• Spiced cabbage with prunes by Lotte Duncan
• Braised Savoy cabbage with apricots, pecans and caraway by Denis Cotter
• Peppery hot cabbage salad by Anjum Anand
• Braised red cabbage with apples and sherry vinegar by Mike Robinson
• Find more cabbage recipes

Chicory

Chicory comes in red and white varieties and is available throughout the winter months. Chicory is propagated by growing the roots in warm, moist peat or sand and leaving the white, fleshy leaves to develop in darkness. Once picked and exposed to light, the leaves start to become bitter, so they should be stored wrapped in paper to keep out the light and eaten as soon after picking as possible.

Chicory can be eaten raw or cooked: the leaves are excellent eaten fresh in a salad, tossed in a little vinaigrette, or stir-fried and served as a vegetable side dish or simply as a dish on its own. Whole heads of chicory can be baked, poached or griddled.

• Caramelised chicory by Sophie Grigson
• Orange and chicory salad by Angela Hartnett
• Chicory, walnut and Roquefort salad by Raymond Blanc
• Thai seafood salad and chicory by Antony Worrall Thompson
• Chicken braised with chicory and crème fraîche by Nigel Slater
• Find more chicory recipes

Celeriac

This bulbous knobbly root is about the size of a medium turnip. It is from the celery family, but has a slightly nutty, milder and sweeter taste. When preparing it, scrub the skin well and remove any brown bits with a sharp knife. Celeriac can be eaten raw or cooked. Try it grated raw into salads, such as the all-time classic celeriac remoulade (grated celeriac mixed with mustard and mayonnaise). Or it can be boiled and mashed into a purée, roasted in butter or oil, or blended into a soup.

• Seared scallops with black pudding and celeriac purée by Simon Rimmer
• Roast celeriac with marsala by Sophie Grigson
• Celeriac remoulade with homemade mayonnaise by James Martin
• Waldorf salad with celeriac by Patrick Williams
• Celeriac and roast hazelnut soup with soda bread focaccia by Rachel Allen
• Find more celeriac recipes

Guinea fowl

Native to West Africa, the guinea fowl has graced British kitchens for hundreds of years. It is a small bird, wild or bred, and it needs careful attention when cooking because the flesh tends to dry out easily. The flavour is similar to that of chicken but it has a hint of gaminess, which means it goes well with flavours such as chestnuts, apples, herbs, bacon, cider or brandy. When roasting, the bird needs to be basted at intervals with butter, or covered with pork or bacon fat to keep the meat tender and moist. Casseroling is a perfect cooking method for guinea fowl because the slow cooking in liquid ensures sweet and tender meat in a flavoursome sauce.

• Somerset cider guinea fowl by Sylvia and Jamie Haselock
• Roast guinea fowl by Keith Floyd
• Guinea fowl with wild mushrooms by Paul Rankin
• Pot roasted guinea fowl with confit onion by Paul Merrett
• Find more guinea fowl recipes

Halibut

The halibut is a huge flat fish that can grow to lengths of four metres or more and weigh more than 20 kilos/45 pounds. These large fish are sold as steaks or fillet pieces but small halibut, called chicken halibut, which weigh up to about two kilos/four and a half pounds, can be bought whole. A white fish with a good flavour, it needs careful cooking because the flesh can dry out. Pan fry in butter and olive oil, or poach in liquid to keep it moist.

• Halibut with grapefruit vinaigrette by Angela Hartnett
• Halibut with lemon butter by Gennaro Contaldo
• Roast halibut with butter beans and chorizo by John Torode
• Coconut and chilli pan-fried halibut by Anjum Anand
• Halibut with salsa verde, crabcakes and baby vine tomatoes by Si King
• Blackened halibut with mango chutney by Simon Rimmer
• Find more halibut recipes

Jerusalem artichoke

Native to North America, the Jerusalem artichoke does not come from Jerusalem and is not related to the globe artichoke. It's a tuber and looks like a knobbly, branched cross between a new potato and root ginger, but with a very different flavour from either. Jerusalem artichokes can be eaten raw in salads or lightly cooked in a stir fry. They are good boiled, roasted or made into soups or chips.

• Jerusalem artichoke stir fry by James Martin
• Jerusalem artichoke broth by Sophie Grigson
• Chicken and Jerusalem artichoke pie by Sophie Grigson
• Pan-fried chicken breast with Jerusalem artichoke risotto and roasted vegetables by Mark Sargeant
• Find more Jerusalem artichoke recipes

Mussels

Often regarded as poor man's shellfish, mussels are cheap and plentiful. In the wild, they grow on coastline rocks and stones but they are also farmed in suitable coastal waters. Scottish waters are perfect habitat for mussels to grow in and, indeed, mussels were collected and eaten by Scottish peasants. It was common for fishwives to sell them as street food, setting up stalls selling mussels in saucers with a little cooking broth.

If you do collect your own mussels, make sure the waters are unpolluted. They are at their best in the colder months outside the breeding season. Find out more about mussels.

• Belgian mussels by Simon King and David Myers
• Mussels with dry coconut by Anjum Anand
• Mussel empanadas by Valentine Warner
• Velouté of Morston mussels by Galton Blackiston
• Mussels and jamon with sherry by Jill Dupleix
• Mussel, fennel and saffron broth by James Martin
• Mussels with wine and parsley (video recipe) by Mitch Tonks from Get Cooking
• Find more mussels recipes

Purple sprouting broccoli

Purple sprouting broccoli is best eaten as soon as it's picked, so it's a great ingredient to pick up from your local farmers' market. You can eat it all, including the leaves, stems and purple heads. Sprouting broccoli is delicious simply steamed, boiled or stir fried, added to pasta or as a side dish with any fish or meat dish you can mention. Treat it as you would normal broccoli, although you should reduce the cooking time slightly.

• Purple sprouting broccoli with leek and shallot farrotto by Denis Cotter
• Purple sprouting broccoli pesto by Antony Worrall Thompson
• Pasta with purple sprouting broccoli by Alastair Little
• Prawns and purple sprouting broccoli with chilli and lemon by Simon Rimmer
• Find more purple sprouting broccoli recipes

Also in season

1. bananas
2. beetroot
3. blood oranges
4. brill
5. Brussels spouts
6. carrots
7. cauliflower
8. chard
9. clams
10. cockles
11. haddock
12. hake
13. hare
14. John Dory
15. kale
16. kiwi fruit
17. leeks
18. lemons
19. lemon sole
20. oranges
21. oysters
22. parsnips
23. passion fruit
24. pears
25. pineapple
26. pomegranate
27. potatoes (main crop)
28. rhubarb (forced)
29. salmon
30. swede
31. turnips
32. turbot
33. venison
34. walnuts