One of the ways we can be more sustainable and eco-friendly, as well as eating healthily, is by eating seasonally. There might not be as many fruits in December, but the veg crop is doing well here in Britain, and there’s quite a few foodstuffs we can choose from the shops that are grown locally. 

With all of us watching our carbon footprint, we can be assured that the food that’s harvested in the UK hasn’t travelled over hundreds of miles by boat or plane, and if there’s a local greengrocers or farmers market in your town, which tends to sell produce from local farms, even better!

You can see here of some of December’s seasonal foods, and I’ve listed them all out below with a recipe for each I’ve found. 

December Foods

Apples – Caramel Apple Upside Down Cake 

Beetroot – Beetroot and Goat’s Cheese Quiche

Brussels sprouts – Maple Bacon Brussels Sprouts

Cauliflower – Cauliflower Casserole

Celeriac – Celeriac Soup with Hazelnut and Sage Pesto

Celery – Apples and Celery Pasta Salad

Chestnuts – Italian Lentil and Chestnut Stew

Chicory – Casareccia Pasta With Chicory & Sausage

Horseradish – Horseradish mashed potatoes

Jerusalem artichoke – Grilled Chicken with Artichokes

Kale – Sautéed Kale Salad with Bacon, Walnuts, and Cranberries

Kohlrabi – Kohlrabi and Ham Gratin

Leeks – Leek Tart with Gruyere and Onions

Parsnips – Apple and Parsnip Soup

Pears – Baked Pears with Honey, Pecans, and Cinnamon

Potatoes – Brabant Potatoes (Crispy Garlic Butter Potatoes)

Salsify – Salsify Pan-Glazed with Elderflower Honey

Shallots – French Green Beans with Shallots and Sesame Ginger Sauce

Swede – Swede and Coconut Daal

Turnips – Herb Roasted Sweet Potato and Turnip Skillet

Wild mushrooms – Wild Mushroom and Venison Stroganoff

There’s lots more recipes you can find to make seasonal meals. Think Potato and Leek soup, mashed turnip and swede, and of course at Christmas I absolutely love Chestnut stuffing! I recommend browsing on Pinterest or Google.

To also be more sustainable, try and buy these fruit and vegetables individually rather than in bags. You can bring your own bags to put the produce in once you’ve weighed them, or Sainsburys sell reusable fruit and veg bags for 30p.

Happy cooking and baking!