How to make the most of chestnuts

Even if you haven’t got a open fire to roast them on, chestnuts are so versatile, they can add flavour all manner of dishes, savoury or sweet. And, at this time of year, “I urge you to seek them out”, said Felicity Cloake in The Guardian.

The Romans had “something of a penchant for sweet chestnut trees, spreading them across Europe” so they could use the “fast-growing timber” as a raw material in their empire’s expansion, said BBC Future. Many of the trees alive today “will be descendants” from those that “ancient Roman legionnaires and foresters brought with them” thousands of years ago. By the Middle Ages, chestnuts had become a “staple food in many parts of Europe”, ground down to make flour or boiled with sugar to make a purée.

Chestnuts “might not be the first treat you think of” during the Christmas season, but “they’re still deeply rooted in global festivities”, said Express Online. Jamie Oliver recommends preheating your oven to 200C, slicing a cross on top of the shells with a sharp knife, and putting them “cross-side up” on a tray in the oven for 25 to 30 mins. Once they are cooked, the tops will split open and, after they have cooled, the shells can be peeled away, leaving the roasted nut ready for eating.

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Though delicious in their own right, chestnuts can also be the basis of the perfect vegan alternative to a traditional Christmas dinner. A buttery mushroom, chestnut and thyme wellington will knock your guests’ socks off, vegan cook and food writer Katy Beskow told Stylist. Easy to prepare, with only a handful of ingredients, it is a “failsafe for the big day”.

Chestnuts are equally good in sweet dishes. Nigella Lawson’s chestnutty twist on a classic pavlova is a real delight, said Food & Wine. “Crisp” meringue with a “soft, marshmallowy interior” is topped with a sweetened chestnut purée and then “swathes of softly whipped cream and splinters of bitter chocolate”. It's a “fabulously festive” treat.