Simple and in Season: February Round Up and Winner

I think this month has been one of my favourite rounds of Simple and in Season so far! We had such an array of seasonal produce, from blood oranges and a glut of lemons, to figs, rhubarb and apples in the sweet selection. Savoury recipes included grouse, pheasant, oxtail, as well as delicious salads of broccoli and pomegranate,  the lovely golden colours of swede and butternut squash, warm spices as well as fresh herbs including rosemary and wild garlic.

How to pick a winner…? The hardest round yet! Scroll to the bottom to see.

1. To start things off, Becky from Mint Custard made this lovely Blood Orange Drizzle Cake in a lovely post crediting her Dad for loving his food and introducing Becky to simplicity and seasonality. Thank you Becky for sharing this lovely recipe.

2. From sweet to savoury, Shaheen from Allotment 2 Kitchen linked up her Chickpea and Rosemary Soup, whilst packing and moving away from Scotland. Shaheen we wish you well!

3. The lovely Urvashi who writes at The Botanical Baker shared a wonderful recipe for Cauliflower Curry – Gujerati Style which was one of the first recipes she learnt from her mother. Thanks for sharing this, Urvashi.

4. Bangers & Mash shared three different ways with one of my favourite late-autumn vegetables – butternut squash – making Lorraine Pascale’s Muffins, Riverford Risotto and her own soup.

5. Next, a stunning entry from a blog I love based in Dubai. Dima from Dima’s Kitchen shared a truly stunning version of The Best Ever Lemon Tart with some fantastic tips as to how to make the perfect shell. Thank you Dima!

6. Following this, another blog I love and an entry from a fab friend, Karen at Lavender and Lovage who shared her recipe for Wild Garlic, Lemon and Lovage Soup. Karen certainly knows how to pack a punch with flavour!

7. Another flavour-bursting entry from Karen at Lavender and Lovage, with this Lemon and Ginger Marmalade. Since I’ve been feeling very poorly this week, I am going to make this to make myself feel better!

8. Back to a stunning savoury recipe and Charlotte from Charlotte’s Kitchen Diary made this simple yet seasonal Wild Grouse Salad, also with sour cherries, walnuts and russet apples and a delicious red currant jelly as a dressing. Perfect!

9.  A new blog to explore, I-Lost in Austen shared a recipe for a Stuffed Dried Fruit Grenadine Apple . As a Jane Austen fan, Kit made this for Mr Darcy – I’m sure he would have loved it!

10. And at exactly the half-way mark, Jennifer from Jennifer’s Journal made three pots of lovely Rhubarb and Ginger Jam from Vanessa Kimbell’s book Prepped! Perfectly in season – thanks Jenny.

11. Spice n Sugar Tales linked up her Luscious Mango Skrikhand/Yogurt – stunning colours here.

12. The super-talented Shu Han from Mummy, I Can Cook made a Kimchi Pheasant Pot Roast. I thought this was stunning and the recipe itself was so interesting with Korean flavours and slow-braising.

13. And then for Burn’s Night, Shu Han from Mummy, I Can Cook came back with a Haggis Mushroom Pie with a Swede Crust. I love the colour of the cooked swede and I must use it more.

14. And a third fabulous entry from Shu Han at Mummy, I Can Cook, this time a Winter Paella with Chinese Sausage and Mussels – again, striking, seasonal and a very creative recipe.

15. Caroline from Caroline Makes…made a Low Fat Lemon Slimmer’s Cheesecake, lightened up with quark.

16. Another wonderful entry, this time all the way from Australian as Magnolia Verandah gathered Figs for Fig Jam – just in time as the birds were beginning to get them! Thank you for sending this across.

17. Laura from How to Cook Good Food sent across her Purple Sprouting Broccoli Salad with Lemon, Chilli and Garlic Dressing – lovely vibrant broccoli!

18. Simple and in Season wouldn’t be the same without an entry from Janet at The Taste Space, this time with a stunning Pomegranate, Snap Pea and Barley Salad with Dill and Allspice.

19. The Aga Girls up in Scotland turned an Ox Tail Stew sitting in the freezer into an Ox Tail Pie, a la Heston. Looks good to me! A lovely rich colour.

20. And to round-off, I linked up my simple Honey Roasted Rhubarb with Malted Milk Custard, just ahead of freezing the rest and turning it into an ice cream!

A huge thank you to everyone who joined in with Simple and in Season this month!

Look out for the next round…I hear the British Asparagus season has arrived early!