Celeriac, an old-fashioned winter vegetable, was once very hard to find – it seemed that only chefs managed to get their hands on these precious bulbs. Now I’ve been seeing celeriac not only at farmers’ markets, but on the supermarket shelves too, which is really exciting!

Last winter when I ate a meal at The Roundhouse, chef Eric Bulpitt highlighted it as his veg of the night, and displayed half-cut celeriac roots on glass pedestals in the middle of the table, covered in a glass cloche. In one of the dishes he roasted them in goat milk butter so they went soft and caramelised, releasing their slightly aniseed flavour.

I like to eat celeriac raw, thinly sliced and mixed in a homemade mayonnaise, which goes exceptionally well with pulled pork. This veg is highly underrated; maybe because we’re unaccustomed to it and it really isn’t that pretty to look at – until you peel it to expose a lovely white creamy flesh. Next time try it in a bake instead of using potatoes.

Another moment of discovery and excitement in the last week was getting hold of some fresh turmeric. I made a curry straight away, grating the root-like flesh into a pot of onions and spices before adding beef. My kitchen and hands turned yellow, so be careful, but it’s much better to have the real thing. Turmeric rhizomes keep well in the freezer, so you can grate off a bit as and when you need it.

One last slightly crooked vegetable – my ultimate favourite – is Jerusalem artichoke. They’re packed with insulin and live under the ground, as I learnt many years ago when restaurateur Michael Olivier, who owned Parks at the time, first introduced me to them. We picked them from his kitchen garden and his chef turned them into a marvellous soup. The taste stuck, and I’m forever trying to hunt them down. Once again it seems only the chefs can rustle them up!

I really look forward to the day when we can buy Jerusalem artichokes in abundance, like I did on a trip to Australia, where they were packed out next to the potatoes. (They are little buggers to peel because of their knobbly bits, but they’re well worth it!) Hopefully by this time next winter…

Abigail