Winter

This is the season for poultry, with beautiful turkeys, geese, capons and fattened Bresse chickens with delicious, tender flesh. Oranges, clementines and grapefruit are abundant and fully ripened. Think of the blue cheeses like creamy Roquefort, bleu de Gex, bleu des Causses, bleu d’Auvergne or Fourme d’Ambert. At this time of year when local fruit is scarce, turn to tropical varieties: fresh lychees are exquisite, as are pineapples, in particularly the little Victoria pineapples that are extra sweet and full of flavour. And there are always lobsters and scallops, not forgetting oysters, which are now perfect.