Make the most of citrus season and grab unwaxed organic varieties for flavour and nutritionThe zesty, citrus whiff of oranges freshens up the January kitchen, drawing a line under heavy celebratory food, and lighting up the virtuous, but enticing path...

It's the ultimate winter breakfast, but getting your oats can also keep the body slim and healthyWhen it's cold outside, a bowl of hot oats makes a warming and comforting breakfast. If you're a Scottish traditionalist, your porridge will be made with...

Cinnamon is a truly global spice that appears to combat a truly global ailment - high blood pressureFew aromas are quite as seductive, or as warmly enveloping, as that of cinnamon, the fragrant bark of the eponymous tropical tree. Just half a teaspoon...

The medicinal properties of honey are as exciting as its breadth of flavourSticky, fragrant honey is nature's most interesting sweetener and always astonishing in the way its scent, taste and colour reflects the flora from which the bees collect their...

No wait... sprout haters come back! Give the brussels' leafy hat a chance and it will repay you in vitamins...Even to the most hardened brussels sprouts dodgers, sprout tops - the clusters of leaves that grow at the crown of the sprouts' stalk - may...

Pineapple is a sweet, sharp and juicy source of vitamin C is also a great aid to digestionIn summer, when berries are abundant, what's the point of pineapple? Why bother wrestling with that spiky intruder when there are home-grown seasonal fruits to...

Real whole milk from grass-fed cows is creamy, nutritious and utterly delicious...Our shelves are stacked with white water labelled as milk, from cows pumped up on imported cereals and barely see, let alone chew, a blade of grass. But never confuse this...

A hit in the kitchen thanks to its pungent kick, mustard once lived in the medicine cabinet ...Mustard, and mustard seed, is an indispensable ingredient in any cook's larder. Whole, mercury-black mustard seeds, either dry roasted, or "tempered" in a hot...

Robust, fresh and a delight to cook with, almonds are packed with vitamin E and other mineralsA stalwart nut in Christmas cake, pudding and mincemeat, almonds figure prominently on the seasonal shopping list. For freshness, they're a safer bet than walnuts...

Pomegranates store rich flavour in their deep red flesh and crunchy jewel-like seeds - and they are a tonic for a healthy heart.With its sweetness tempered by a pleasantly bitter, slightly tannic astringency, in my book, no drink is more restorative than...

Healthy eating needn't make you weep - this most basic veg is a secret nutritional superstar As winter sets in, and this year's UK crop, now dried off, comes on to the market, the comforting warmth of the humble onion really comes into its own. ...

More than just a stick for dipping, this versatile veg also benefits the nerves and blood• Rosie Sykes' jugged celery with bacon, apples and almondsWhile punchy flavour and refreshing juicy crunch make celery a heavy-hitter in the salad department,...

The stalwart of sauces and stews is ripe with anti-cancer molecules and builds strong bones• Rosie Sykes' Fish baked with tomato sauce recipeThe larder is worryingly bare when you've run out of tinned tomatoes. They are the cook's comfort blanket, the...

Yoghurt is a simple pleasure packed with nutrients and microflora to keep your system finely tuned• Rosie Sykes' yoghurt cake recipeA good natural yoghurt is one of life's simplest, yet most pleasing foods; the chalky creaminess cut by its clean, refreshing,...

Broccoli is packed to the florets with nutrients and things to keep you healthy - meet a true superfood• Rosie Sykes' broccoli, butterbeans and pasta recipeTrademarked brands of boutique broccoli are sprouting up on supermarket shelves, wooing us with...

Saffron has long been used in traditional healing and research suggests it could become part of mainstream medicine's weaponrydship day? No spice is more special than saffron. Its scent is haunting, its unmistakable flavour earthy yet aristocratic and...

Blackcurrants are packed with vitamin C and micronutrients - they're Britain's very own superfood.Blackcurrants are much too good to be relegated to jams and cordials. In all their purple might, they have an intensely punchy flavour, unmatched even by...