1. Beetroot

Beetroot are foot-tappingly delicious roasted, in salads and relishes. So easy to grow, only 5 simple dance steps required!

2. Carrots

Orange carrots caught on as a craze in the Netherlands, during the 17th Century. They became so popular, that 400-odd years later, everyone has forgotten carrots came in other colours!

Lucky for you, colourful carrots aren't ancient history. You can choose to grow all the colours, you can have purple ones, or for Oranjefans, you can stick with the orange ones (we won't judge). You'll win every time, because no matter what colour they are, carrots taste gooood.

3. Broccoli

As soon as you hear "nutrient-rich" or "health benefits", it's fair to be suspicious that flavour won't be the main selling point. Broccoli’s the exception though; it’s very tasty indeed!

The rule of thumb to get the best out of broccoli is not to overdo the cooking, because it diminishes the flavour. You also don’t have to steam it every time: roasting florets in the oven until their edges start to crisp really dials up the sweet nutty taste. How about sautéing broccoli with garlic to lightly char the florets, then adding 2 tablespoons of water to the pan and whacking on the lid for a few minutes to steam it? Sensational.

Don’t get us wrong, we love broccoli steamed. It’s so easy when you’re in a hurry; all you need to do is squeeze lemon juice over it and you have something simple, succulent and sublime.

There's a surprising variety of choices, too. If you want sophisticated, go for spiraling 'Romanesco' or sweet-stemmed 'Sticcoli' sprouting broccoli. If you prefer a no-fuss reliable performer, choose 'Shogun Winter Harvest'. Find some space for broccoli in your garden!

4. Peas

We hear the “proper” etiquette for eating shelled peas to delicately crush them onto the back of your fork and eat small, elegant bites.

Our instincts are a bit different: we say just lift the edge of your plate up to your mouth, then shovel the whole lot in with your fork. Delicious.

Don't risk the shovel action with lovely crisp Snow Peas though, you won't want to lose a single precious mouthful overboard.

No matter how much garden space you have available, you'll find a variety to fit! Compact 'Earlicrop Massey' is perfect if space is tight, or you can go for climbing 'Sugarsnap' or Snow Peas if you have room for a trellis.

5. Baby Leaf Spinach

The acidic oxalate substance that naturally occurs in spinach (and lots of other leafy greens) has a habit of binding to calcium and iron, which can prevent them from being absorbed by our digestive systems. The oxalate in spinach can ‘lock up’ these essential nutrients, so that they pass straight through our bodies. 

Milk, butter or cheese also contain lots of calcium. So, teaming up spinach with dairy delivers more than enough calcium to put handcuffs on the oxalate in the spinach, which in turn, allows more calcium and iron to pass through us in a form we can digest.

After that good news, here's more: spinach is really easy to grow. Go for 'Baby Leaf' or 'Winter Queen' at this time of year.