Daylesford's head gardener wants us to rethink Christmas veg
It’s the most wonderful time of the year – and the busiest! We've asked a few of our favourite ‘industry insiders’ – people well-practised in the art of making the festive season truly special – for their pearls of wisdom to help you get Christmas sorted.
Here we talk to Jez Taylor, head of the Market Garden at Daylesford, about rethinking traditional Christmas veg. Jez favours a seasonal approach to growing across Daylesford's 30 acres, and there are few people more qualified to help us invigorate our Christmas menu...
A lot of us think of Christmas veg as sprouts, carrots and parsnips. Is there a world beyond this?
JT: Like other growers in this area, we don’t have the best soil for parsnips or carrots. We grew them for a number of years when I first joined Daylesford, but discovered the ground wasn’t right for them.
We like to celebrate more the ‘exotic’ elements, like celeriac, which we’re very good at growing. Other winter roots we grow that are great for Christmas are turnips, swedes, beetroot and Jerusalem artichokes. We also grow red cabbage at our sister estate in Staffordshire.
Christmas lunch for me is all about a diversity of roots and greens, full of different colours, cooked to create different textures. It’s a thrill for me to have eight different vegetables on my plate – as an organic grower, you become a bit of a food snob!
That’s a lot of veg! How do you like to cook it all?
JT: There will be at least two purees or mash on my Christmas dinner table – swede, turnips, a buttery celeriac mash. Throwing butter at celeriac feels like cheating, but you can’t go wrong. And you can’t miss out on potatoes, which have to be roasted for Christmas dinner.
You want to have at least two greens, such as sprouts, cabbage, or Cavolo Nero – although that does tend to take up quite a lot of space on the plate! I wouldn’t recommend broccoli – it’s always imported at that time of year, but people feel the need to use it.
Roasting big chunks of squash brings a sweetness to the plate, and crispy roasted kale adds a different texture.
I season roasted veg with rosemary and thyme – you can always rely on them to be available as they don’t deteriorate when it gets cold. And you can use your roasted veg either side of Christmas in salads to bring healthier elements back into the festive season.
Salad is a novel choice!
JT: Everyone forgets about salad leaves, but they are great for canapés too. Radicchio is a bitter leaf with a glorious seasonal red colour – it is a nice light relief amongst the heavier foods at Christmas. It is delicious balanced with the right sweet or savoury ingredients, and can be used as a ‘boat’ for each canapé. It’s an excellent replacement for cos or gem lettuce in the winter months.
Can you share any ways to spice up the veg this year? Something different to try?
JT: I think preserving is a brilliant way to add more variety. Cabbage can be turned into sauerkraut as a good alternative to chutney, it goes well with soft cheeses and pate. I make tomato chilli jam in big batches during the summer months. Certain condiments become family favourites, and for us, its tomato chilli jam and apple sauce, which go with every family celebration. I make the apple sauce using Bramley apples in October and then freeze – it’s a great alternative to cranberry sauce, and you can get the same sweet and sour flavours from it.
Léoube Olive Oil Tin
Organic Dijon Mustard in Ceramic Pot
Organic Fig, Apple & Balsamic Chutney
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