It always surprises me that some people treat winter vegetables as being poor cousins to their more flamboyant relatives of the summer.

I think it has to do with the way they are presented. One eats first with the eyes. It gets the gastric juices going jolly and your digestion begins to take a turn for the better.

If you look at those pathetic little cubes of red peppers that some cooks insist on sprinkling on a salad there is very little chance that your teeth will have anything to convey to your stomach lining. Except:" get rid of that lot without delay". The stomach is a powerful muscle and has to have something to get to work on. It is different if you are doing a "julienne" of vegetables to flavour a sauce or gravy. You are going to strain the gravy anyway and discard the vegetables.

Leeks are the most versatile of winter treats and can be used with anything either meat or fish. But not cut them in small rounds that will eventually melt in the cooking, leaving you to wonder where on earth they have gone!

Choose thick leeks. Discard the sandy roots, cut the tops leaving about 10cm of green leaves. Peel off the first layer of leaves. Cut the leeks in half lengthways and soak in cold water for about an hour. Check for any sand or grit. Rinse well.

Then fold each half in two and tie up with some meat string (hilo de morcilla in Spanish). Plunge all the parcels in boiling salted water until tender. About 15 minutes. Strain in a colander and run some cold water to keep the colour.

When cold, carefully cut the string. Do not disturb the parcels.

The way you eat them is up to you. Cold with a French dressing with a pinch of paprika and a few sultanas they are delicious. Or you can wrap each parcel with a slice of ham, cover with a white sauce, sprinkle with grated cheese and warm up in the oven until bubbly.

Or just nuke them with a knob of butter and eat with a baked potato.

Happy winter cooking!