Chestnuts

Cut a deep cross through the shell on the flat side of each chestnut, then roast at 200°C for about 20–30 minutes, until the shells curl back and the flesh is tender. Wrap them in a clean tea towel for a few minutes after roasting; the steam makes them easier to peel.

Score each chestnut through its shell, cover with water and simmer for about 20–30 minutes, until tender. Peel them while they’re still warm, removing both the hard shell and the thin brown skin; both become harder to remove as the chestnuts cool.

Choose chestnuts that feel heavy for their size, with smooth, firm shells and no holes, mould or soft patches. A rattling sound when you shake one can mean the kernel has dried and shrunk.

Keep fresh chestnuts in a breathable bag in the fridge and use them within a few weeks; they can mould if left warm and damp. For longer storage, peel cooked chestnuts and freeze them in a sealed container.

Cooked chestnuts are good in autumn soups, alongside Brussels sprouts, or mixed into stuffing with herbs and onion. Puréed chestnuts also work in desserts such as Mont Blanc, while sweetened whole chestnuts are used for marrons glacés.

Chestnut flour has a naturally sweet, nutty flavour and is commonly used in pancakes, cakes and Italian castagnaccio. It lacks the stretchy structure wheat flour gives dough, so in most baking it works better blended with another flour than used as a direct one-for-one swap.

Sweet chestnuts can be eaten raw, but their firm, tannic flesh is less pleasant than when cooked. Roasting or boiling softens them and brings out their sweeter flavour; don’t eat horse chestnuts, which are a different, poisonous species.