Slowly simmered stews, rich hot pots, warming crumbles… on cold winter days, comfort comes from the food we eat. Winter seasonal eating is all about celebrating what nature has to offer, making the most of hardy vegetables, rich meats, and fresh fish.
The coldest season calls for hearty, warming dishes, and that’s where winter meats come in.
If you’re a fan of game, winter offers options like goose, guinea fowl, venison, pheasant, and rabbit, perfect for roasting or slow-cooking in hearty stews. Classic meats such as beef, pork, and chicken are also staples for winter roasts that fill the home with comforting aromas after a brisk walk outside.
Enjoy slow-cooked venison stew or roasted guinea fowl with seasonal root veggies, and don’t forget haggis is also a seasonal option, especially for Burns Night.


Meat
Order a Butcher’s Box from Bere Mill Farm for a selection of excellent meat that changes each month. Bere Mill beef comes from the Belted Galloway cattle bred on the grassland farm for succulent, well-marbled meat that is bursting with flavour.
Every year between September and November, pigs are allowed to roam free in the New Forest, snuffling up the fallen acorns, beech mast and chestnuts. Their nutty diet creates pannage pork, which has a distinctive and sought-after earthy flavour.
The butchers at Stansted Farm Shop take orders for pannage pork from the end of November, and also specialise in healthy, lean and tasty game with wild venison from Stansted Park or Uppark estates.
Fish
In winter, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight fishmongers have an array of fresh fish that’s perfect for warming seasonal dishes. Locally caught cod and haddock are winter staples and are particularly tasty paired with seasonal root vegetables for a winter twist.
Mackerel is plentiful in the colder months and is especially delicious grilled or smoked with sharp accompaniments like horseradish, beetroot or mustard.
Winter is also prime time for shellfish, with Isle of Wight oysters at their best now. Scallops can be pan-seared for a luxurious winter starter, perhaps paired with a celeriac purée for a true taste of the season.
Check the Marine Conservation Society’s Good Food Guide and buy seafood from an independent fishmonger such as Hampshire Fare members Anyfish, Bishop’s Waltham, CE Evans & Sons, Alresford, JS Fresh Fish Shop & Deli, in Bassett, Thyme and Tides Deli, Stockbridge, and Premier Fish, Salisbury. Stansted Park Farm Shop has a fish counter on Fridays.


Veg
The short winter days may be miserable and grey, but seasonal vegetables bring all the colours of the rainbow to the table and are true powerhouses, packed with nutrients like Vitamin C, fibre, and antioxidants.
Keep an eye out for Brussels sprouts, beetroot, carrots, parsnips, potatoes, swede, kale, butternut squash, cauliflower, cabbage, broccoli, and leeks.
If you’re doing Veganuary, this is a great time to incorporate these fresh winter vegetables into your meals – think creamy cauliflower soups, roasted Brussels sprouts with balsamic drizzle, or vibrant stir-fries with kale and broccoli.
And don’t forget to pep up a tray of delicious winter veg with some sweet roasted garlic from the Isle of Wight’s Garlic Farm.
Fruit
Although fresh fruit is scarcer in winter, apples and pears are still going strong and are perfect for baked desserts and warming crumbles. They also work well with savoury pairings like cheese and nuts. Stock up on seasonal favourites like Cox, Bramley, Egremont Russet, Conference, Comice and more from the orchards at Blackmoor Estate in Liss.
Colourful displays of fresh local fruit and vegetables can be found at farmers’ markets, greengrocer’s like Village Veg in Brockenhurst, and farm shops like Crow Farm Shop, Durleighmarsh Farm Shop, Heckfield Farm Shop, Sky Park Farm, Southbourne Farm Shop, Sunnyfields, Wellington Farm Shop, Westlea Farm Shop and Westlands Farm Shop. For veggie deliveries, box schemes include AG Axton & Sons, Bitterne Box Co, Hampshire Market Garden and Worthy Earth.
