Nuts

Naturally creamy and slightly bitter in flavour, walnuts are the wrinkly, brain-like fruit of the walnut tree and a versatile storecupboard ingredient in both sweet and savoury cooking. Here, they contrast sweet leeks in a creamy blue cheese sauce for pasta – a quick and comforting dish for a cold winter night

We’ve updated the meat-free classic with layers of root veg mash. Serve as a centrepiece with your favourite veg

This flavour-packed salad would be great as a side with some grilled meat, or as a meal in itself, tossed through with some feta or pan-fried halloumi

Salsa di noci is a walnut sauce, which adds a lovely, nutty depth of flavour to this simple primi course

Pearl barley is a great low-effort, high-fibre alternative to arborio rice for a midweek risotto. Ours is packed with seasonal green veg, hazelnuts and a good squeeze of lemon

An indulgent veggie main that heroes two seasonal gems. The brown butter hazelnuts are a great way to elevate all sorts of winter veg

‘This is a light vegetarian play on the classic spaghetti carbonara. Instead of a liaison between egg yolks and Parmesan, I’ve used creamy cashew nuts, and to replace the saltiness of bacon I’ve made some salty crispy parsley. And then there are umami flavours coming from the mushrooms. So while it’s not a carbonara as such, it is certainly inspired by it,' says chef Tristan Welch

This is similar to a Waldorf salad but with pineapple and walnuts. Chef Adriana Cavita's recipe is inspired by a dish that some families in her native Mexico City eat on Christmas Eve. 'The salad adds a crunch and freshness to what could be a rich meal,' she says

"This winter warmer ticks all the boxes for me; savoury and nutty, with sweetness from the dates and freshness from the coriander," says chef Chantelle Nicholson