Winter stews to warm up our chilly days

Cook up some winter stews to keep out the seasonal chill.
winter stew

At this time of year, we need delicious food to warm up our chilly days and cold nights. Winter stews and casseroles are the perfect comfort food right now! Whether you’re a committed carnivore or eating a plant-based diet, there’s a warming stew for everyone.

Here are some of our favourite winter stews…

Spicy lentil stew – Add green lentils to celery, carrot, potatoes, tomatoes, and parsley, and give it some heat with crushed chilli. Serve with natural yoghurt and your favourite bread.

Bean and halloumi stew – Combine the tangy taste of tomatoes, red peppers, garlic, coriander, onion, and mixed beans with red chilli pesto and fried halloumi. Serve with garlic bread.

Chicken and red wine casserole – Flavour this classic casserole with redcurrant sauce,  bay leaves, garlic, and strips of peeled orange zest. Add mushrooms, onions, smoked bacon lardons, and good chicken stock. Serve with parsley and thyme dumplings.

Beef cobbler – Top a rich beef stew with buttery, cheesy cobbler flavoured with thyme. Delicious! Use braising steak with carrots, onions, stout, thyme, bay leaves, and beef stock for a hearty beef stew. Add a mature cheddar to the cobbler for extra flavour.

Pancetta and white bean stew – Use a mixture of cannellini and butter beans for this warming dish. Add garlic, chives, carrot, onion, celery, sherry vinegar, a parmesan rind, cavolo nero, and chicken stock. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve with crusty bread.

Venison stew – Use cubes of meat from a boned leg or shoulder of venison and stew with a dry red wine, redcurrant jelly, beef stock, garlic, celery, onions, carrots, and turnip. Flavour with thyme and bay leaves. Serve with creamy mashed potatoes.

Warming winter stews from around the British Isles

Scouse – Or lobscouse. A hearty stew associated with Liverpool. This lamb or beef stew originated with sailors and a version of it is eaten in port cities across Northern Europe.

Irish stew – Often made with mutton or lamb, but beef and goat meat have been used in different Irish stew recipes. Carrots, turnips, and parsnips are also traditional ingredients.

Stoved tatties – Or stovies. This is a Scottish one-pot dish of potatoes stewed slowly with onions, carrots, and meat. Mutton or beef are traditionally used. In Aberdeen, stovies are served with oatcakes and milk.

Tatws pum munud – A traditional Welsh dish that literally translates as ‘five minute potatoes’. It’s made with a combination of potatoes, carrots, bacon, onions, and stock. The vegetables are sliced then layered in a frying pan, followed by the other ingredients. The stew is simmered and then served with crusty bread.

Cawl – A traditional Welsh broth made with winter vegetables like carrot, potatoes, and swede, and mutton or lamb. Originating in the 14th century, cawl was initially cooked in a pot over an open fire. It’s since evolved to include other meats like beef and, in coastal areas, seafood. Serve with crusty bread.

Guernsey bean jar – This one-pot dish is made with a pig’s trotter, haricot beans, butter beans, onions, and carrots. It’s baked for up to eight hours, and was traditionally cooked overnight and eaten for breakfast.

Take a look at some of the winter dishes we create in our sample menus.

Gift Voucher

We can produce personalised gift vouchers to any value and email them directly to you ready for you to pass to the recipient, please call Simon and Kate on 01873 821297 to discuss your requirements or complete the form below and we will get in touch.

Request to book

If your reservation request is for this week please call Simon and Kate on 01873 821297 to discuss current availability or complete the form below for other dates.

Stay Form

Name(Required)
Date(Required)
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.