The joys of winter

Last year, after a chilly June, our winter was very mild. I felt very short-changed, because I like to feel all the seasons. This year is a bit different. Winter started earlier for us, partly because we were in the South Island, and I delighted in freezing temperatures and snow in the middle of May.

We’ve had a few very cold (for us – about 4C/39F) days this winter, with hail and sleet but no snow. (Last time we had snow was 2011!) Our central heating was struggling to get to 20-22C (68-71F), which is what we set the thermostat to in the winter, so we had to supplement it with another heater. As a result, I got to wear my leopard-print fluffy slippers – I didn’t wear them at all last year at least, and I’m pretty sure I didn’t wear any the year before either, as socks were all I needed. I love my leopard-print slippers.

Over the weekend it was blowing a gale and teeming with rain for the last 18 hours. Floods all over the country, and I’ve just seen a photo of the carpark at our supermarket with water flowing through it. We got off relatively unscathed, though we were annoyed to find one or two leaks. It was kind of nice to hunker down inside as the rain pelted down. For once, I actually finished a book!

Winter food is a highlight of winter – and the red wine that goes with it too, of course. Apart from one roast dinner, I’ve really been sticking with many of my everyday meals (curries and tagines, for example) that translate well into winter food. I have plans for some traditional winter recipes.

So I have researching pudding* recipes. As a child, hot, hearty puddings with custard were the sign winter had arrived. I was always very happy on the nights a steamed pudding or an apple crisp (like a crumble, except crisper) was served. My favourite steamed puddings were golden syrup, and ginger (ginger-flavoured anything is very much a family favourite), but my sisters and I couldn’t find our mother’s recipes for them. So I’ve been googling, and will report back once I’ve experimented! My husband and I both ended up going to the supermarket and buying bananas last week (communication breakdown!), and – as the bananas were rapidly going off – I found a recipe for Banana Almond Crumble and made it last night. It was very yummy. No custard though. Maybe next week.

Yesterday I also made a big batch of pumpkin gnocchi and froze it. I only used half the pumpkin, so may have to do another batch this week. And I intend to have some slow-cooked lamb shank dinners, soup and homemade bread lunches, and my foodie friend and I have plans for a winter degustation menu at their beach house. So I’m hoping that winter is far from over, and we still have plenty of time to indulge in my seasonal favourites!

What are your favourite winter dishes?

* Pudding in NZ/UK/Aus etc is used either as a synonym for dessert, or describes a hot pudding.