I love winter. Far from being a low point in the culinary world, it brings on an appetite for hearty, slow-cooked stews, those sticky rich dishes that use cheaper cuts of meat, beans or root vegetables – effective one-pot meals that nourish the soul. It’s about steaming bowls of heavenly fragrant Asian broths, and a lazy pumpkin will quickly find itself turned into a velvety smooth soup or a fragrant curry. Root vegetables are roasted on a bed of salt, concentrating their sweetness, and desserts bring on a guilty indulgence; if ever there was a time for a steamed pudding, this is surely it. Winter food satisfies us deeply, with mellowing comfort and warmth.

It’s the fruit, though that I tend to favour. We may have seen the end of the stone and berry fruits but now is the time for pip fruits to take centre stage. Apples, pears, quinces and feijoas ask for little more than a consideration – sliced fruit embedded in a golden, buttery caramel and topped with puff pastry makes the classic upside-down-tart, commonly known as tarte tatin, and takes hardly any time at all to make. Hard, rose-scented quinces are a rare treat, cooked slowly until a deep garnet, ready to be added to an apple pie or a frangipane tart. You can also serve them with roast pork or a chunk of cheese.

A favourite pudding is baked apples, stuffed with dried fruit and spices, served with a sauce made from crème fraiche and brown sugar – an easy butterscotch sauce, with just the right degree of sourness. The spices alone fill the house with the kind of nostalgic aromatics you just want to snuggle into and, for this cook, that is the very essence of winter.