For a colourful and vitamin-rich winter salad, thinly chop the Frillice lettuce and cover all leaves with the dressing. Initially, it will taste slightly sour, but the tartness will be balanced out once you add the chickpeas and ground nuts and seeds. The nuts, seeds, and chickpeas add heft to this salad, making it a filling winter appetiser.

Use

• Cut frillice

  Cut frillice

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  Frillice is a variety of iceberg lettuce with thicker and more closely packed leaves and broader stems than regular leaf lettuce. Its colour is a deeper shade of green and it is also a fair bit crunchier. Thanks to its stronger leaves, frillice stays fluffier in mixed salads and is not as quick to collapse. It is also great for making hot sandwiches. Highly decorative when used for garnishing snack platters or as the base layer of a snack tray.

  Storage tips

  Cut frillice is best stored between +4 and +8 °C. Keep in the refrigerator. Cut frillice is best used immediately, as even when kept in the refrigerator, it will wilt within a few days.

• Leaf lettuce

  Leaf lettuce

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  Mild, juicy, and soft to the bite. Best used as the main ingredient in a fresh salad. Flavour with various dressings, e.g. balsamic vinegar. Top tip: adding a dash of oil helps the body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins found in the lettuce. Leaf lettuce is perfect on top of a sandwich, in a smoothie, or for garnishing a range of dishes. Leaf lettuce, similarly to cucumber, is rich in water, with a solid content of only 5–7%, which is distributed more or less equally between carbohydrates, proteins, fibre, and minerals. The low calorie content makes leaf lettuce ideal for anyone looking for a healthy meal that helps you maintain a desirable weight: leafy greens are very filling and great for staving off hunger without piling on the pounds. But the list of benefits does not end there. Leaf lettuce is rich in minerals, including potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and even iron. It also offers an abundance of group B vitamins, fat-soluble vitamins, and carotenoids, which the body converts into vitamin A.

  Storage tips

  Potted leaf lettuce lasts longest when kept between +4 and +8 °C. This means storage is easiest in a cool place, such as a pantry or refrigerator. For longer storage, you should also lightly water the plant once a day. You can keep the pot in a glass of water, but cool conditions are still recommended. Will also keep well on the kitchen table or a window sill if watered properly, though not quite as long as when kept cool.

• Pea shoots

  Pea shoots

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  A trendy leafy vegetable. Fresh pea shoots can be eaten on their own, added to salads, used for garnishing sandwiches and other foods, or mixed into hot dishes, such as stir-fries. Also great for serving on the side with potatoes, risottos or soups. Cooked pea shoots are a delicious addition to fish, chicken or pastas, while chopped shoots can be added to marinades and a range of sauces. Young shoots are the tastiest and mildest.

  Storage tips

  Pea shoots are best stored between +4 and +8 °C. This means they are easiest to store in a cool space, such as a pantry or refrigerator. For longer storage, you should also lightly water the plant once a day. You can keep the pot in a glass of water, but cool conditions are still recommended. Will also keep on the kitchen table or a window sill if watered properly, though not quite as long as when kept cool. As pea shoots are a delicious snack even on their own, don’t leave them out for too long or you might come back to an empty bowl.

Sorrel and blue cheese – a combination for gourmands.

Use

• Red-veined sorrel

  Red-veined sorrel

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  The red-veined sorrel, identifiable by its attractive leaves which are criss-crossed by reddish veins, is significantly milder than the common sorrel. Mostly used in fresh salads, but also suitable for stir-fries, pies and a variety of egg dishes.

  Storage tips

  It is best stored between +4 and +8 °C. This means storage is easiest in a cool temperature-controlled space, such as a pantry or a refrigerator. For longer storage, you should also lightly water the plant once a day. You can keep the pot in a glass of water, but cool conditions are still recommended. Warmth leads to faster decay.

Tasty milk and white chocolate cream with cottage cheese and mint salad.

Use

• Peppermint

  Peppermint

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  The peppermint plant is commonly used for making aromatic peppermint tea. Fresh peppermint leaves are also used for flavouring and garnishing a range of desserts. Can be used equally well for seasoning meat dishes. Peppermint tincture has pain-relieving properties, reduces nausea and intestinal gas. Peppermint tincture can easily be prepared at home: just gather some peppermint flowers and leaves and soak them in vodka.

  Storage tips

  Peppermint is slightly easier to preserve than most other herbs, as long as you protect it from the cold and water it well. While not as delicate as basil, peppermint leaves will turn dark in cool conditions. To keep it fresh longer, ensure an even temperature: temperature fluctuations reduce the shelf life of the plant. The most convenient way to store peppermint is to place it on the kitchen table in a decorative pot. This way, it is lovely to look at and will freshen the air with its wonderful aroma. Provided the plant is kept sufficiently moist, it will keep this way for a relatively long time.