Popular over the festive season, chestnuts are a versatile and tasty store cupboard ingredient, available fresh, ground, dried, puréed or vacuum packed. Dried chestnuts can be added to stews or soups, while puréed chestnut (available sweetened and unsweetened) can be used in various dishes.

1/ Chestnut Soup

The sweet and nutty flavour of chestnuts can enhance many Autumnal dishes such as creamy chestnut soup. The team at Just Spices recommend chopping the chestnuts before adding them to a pan with onions and sautéing for a few minutes before adding vegetable stock. Add cream just before blending.

2/ Vegan Mushroom Wellington with Chestnuts

Food blogger Georgie Eats uses chopped chestnuts in her recipe for vegan mushroom wellington. They are added to mushrooms, onions, roasted squash and herbs to make a delicious filling for this pastry showstopper. When cut open, the chestnuts are clearly visible in the filling.

3/ Pasta pairing

Chestnuts make the perfect accompaniment to pasta and work well with other ingredients such as mushrooms. The Mushroom Bureau recommend pairing tagliatelle with mushrooms, chestnuts and chives, roasting the ingredients with capers and garlic to enhance the flavour of the sauce.

4/ A Japanese twist

Japanese chef Atsuko Ikeda has used chestnuts in a traditional recipe for Kuri Gohan. In Japan, this dish is described as a type of takigohan, where rice is cooked with seasonal vegetables. The chestnuts are boiled, the skins removed and roasted lightly, which makes the inner skins easier to remove.

5/ Sweet Potato & Chestnut Christmas Wreath

What could be more festive than a pastry wreath filled with chestnuts and dipped in cranberry sauce? Tropical Sunfoods recommend making the filling for the puff pastry wreath with cooked chestnuts, sweet potato, onion, garlic and mushrooms. Once the filling has been made, it is spread over the pastry strip, which is rolled and shaped into a circle.

Waste Not, Want Not

Leftover cooked chestnuts can be added to recipes to give extra flavour such as stuffing, stews and soups. They can bring a caramelised nutty flavour to sprouts, Christmas puddings and desserts. Add chopped chestnuts to a classic risotto for added texture or make a purée from leftovers.

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Also in season: Cranberry, Guinea Fowl, Grouse, Aubergine and Kale