What’s In Season – November
There are loads of foodie reasons to be jolly this month. We’ve used ingredients that are in season in November in the UK, meaning you can treat yourself to goodies packed with citrus flavours, mince pies bursting with rich fruit, and pasta dishes given a festive flourish with chestnuts. This list of fruits and veg will make this month and beyond taste extra delicious. Ready to get started?
Pomegranates
Ruby-red pomegranate seeds are like jewels and bring an extra flourish to a glass of fizz – a great idea for Christmas morning, too. Or try sprinkling them over braised red cabbage or sausagemeat stuffing along with chopped parsley or dill. To make ice cubes with pizzazz, pop a few pomegranate seeds into an ice-cube tray (along with berries and edible flowers, if you like), fill with water and freeze.
Chicken Kebabs with Pomegranate Rice
This recipe is the perfect fakeaway. It’s packed with Middle Eastern-inspired flavours and it’s a great way to use pomegranate in a meal that you can easily turn into a regular weeknight dish (it only takes 30 minutes to make). The only challenge is deciding whether the pomegranate rice or marinade tastes better.
Duck Breast with Pomegranate & Star Anise Sauce
Treat someone special to this dish for two. The sweet, tart flavour of pomegranate juice and the warm aroma of the star anise really complements the richness of the duck, while the pomegranate seeds also bring a spot of colour and freshness to the meal. We’ve paired the duck with fried potatoes and green beans.
Charred Aubergine with Turmeric Yoghurt, Walnuts and Pomegranate
This veggie recipe is an ideal light lunch or side to a main dish. You can char your aubergine on a grill in the kitchen or outside on the barbecue, if you enjoy firing it up throughout the year, no matter the weather. Toast your walnuts to take this recipe to the next level.
Muscat Grapes
You’ve never met such fragrant grapes – savour them frozen, with a piece of dark chocolate and a hot espresso. For a speedy dessert, roast them for 5-10 mins in a hot oven with marsala, dark brown sugar and a bay leaf; enjoy with creme fraiche and cantucci (Italian biscuits). Or use them in a quick winter trifle: layer up with marsala-soaked sponge and vanilla custard, and top with whipped cream and toasted hazelnuts.
These crispy bites are the perfect festive party nibble or starter on Christmas Day, so add this one to your list of November recipes and get some practice in for December’s festivities. The blend of cheese, walnuts and pancetta feels like a full line-up of seasonal food in one go, and the sherry-soaked grapes take the dish to another level.
Chestnuts
Chestnuts work in both sweet and savoury dishes. To make your own chestnut purée – perfect for folding through cream to fill yule logs – tip a packet of cooked chestnuts into a pan, cover with milk and simmer until they’re soft and most of the milk has evaporated. Blend with icing sugar, to taste, until smooth. Or try mixing some chopped chestnuts, chilli, shallot and curry powder into sausagemeat for a spiced sausage roll filling.
Chestnut and Pancetta Sprouts
When it comes to seasonal vegetables, the festive period belongs to sprouts. There are plenty of ways to make the veg world’s great divider taste delicious and win over even its most vocal critics. In this recipe, crispy-fried pancetta paired with the nutty warmth of chestnuts is a match made in sprout heaven.
Chard Parcels with Mushrooms and Chestnuts
This vegetarian meal is inspired by the Ukrainian golubtsi dish, but feels like it was made for our favourite seasonal vegetables in November in the UK. Chard is a leafy green vegetable somewhat similar to spinach – it’s used here to create little parcels of mushroom and walnut for a creamy, flavourful dinner.
Chestnut Carbonara
Inhaling the scent of a steaming pile of chestnuts on a Christmas market stall is one of our favourite festive activities. If you don’t fancy heading out into the cold, you can enjoy chestnuts at home in this pasta dish. Just like a classic carbonara, there’s plenty of bacon involved.
Medjool Dates
Dip dates into melted dark chocolate before sprinkling with chopped pistachios. Or make an incision in the dates, remove the stones, then stuff with ricotta lightly flavoured with honey and a pinch of salt. Also try roasting root vegetables with garlic, a sprinkling of spice and drizzle of oil in a medium-hot oven; once golden, add chopped dates, cooked lentils, fresh herbs, sliced shallot and a squeeze of lemon.
Sticky Toffee Puddings with Bourbon Sauce
There’s something really comforting about a sticky toffee pudding, which is why it’s a perfect November recipe in the UK. Medjool dates are a staple ingredient in this dessert, but the sauce adds a boozy twist. It might just be our favourite way to warm up on a cold day.
Raw Orange, Chocolate & Hazelnut Bites
Keep your energy high with these protein balls. You can whip them up in just 10 minutes, and they’re an easy way to refuel after a workout. The natural sweetness in the coconut and dates makes them taste delicious, and the orange zest carries the bites all the way into the festive season.
Spiced, Slow-Roasted Duck Legs with Fig Chutney, Chickpea Mash and Fennel Salad
As Christmas approaches and you have guests round to celebrate, consider making this dish – it’s perfect for dinner parties. The medjool dates are used to create your chutney, which you can keep for up to a year in a sterilised jar. And, you can use any pomegranate seeds leftover from our other November recipes in the fennel salad.
Clementines and satsumas
Both of these are types of mandarin oranges. Clementines have a shiny, orange-coloured skin that sits close to the flavour-packed flesh. They’re perfect for peeling, slicing into rounds, drizzling with honey, sprinkling with feta and finishing with some sherry vinegar and rocket.
Satsumas are the true easy peeler, with a loose, soft skin. They can be used in place of a clementine, but are milder, so use more zest to pack the same punch.
Clementine and Cranberry Mince Pies
Homemade mince pies are a real treat. You can buy the mincemeat for your pies pre-made but it’s seriously easy (and delicious) to make your own. It also gives you the freedom to create whatever you like. For this recipe, combine all the ingredients the night before and leave the mixture overnight to allow the fruit to soak.
Pomegranate and Clementine Chicken
Mix up your Sunday roast with this juicy, flavourful chicken recipe. Rest your chicken on the fruit and veg – including the clementine – listed in the recipe. It all breaks down in the oven, so you can use the juices to baste the chicken regularly.
Spiced, Slow-Roasted Duck Legs with Fig Chutney, Chickpea Mash and Fennel Salad
Enjoy this recipe as a dessert. You can make up a batch of compote and keep it in the fridge to enjoy over a few days. It’s also a great option for breakfast.
Discover our November in season aisle.