Make it through the winter with Scotland’s superfoods

"Beetroot is a great blood cleanser, has anti-carcinogenic properties and helps boost the immune system. Broccoli helps prevent colon cancer - and carrots can also prevent cancer, especially of the lungs. Red and green cabbages are great for respiratory infections, and brussels sprouts give you a full complement of vitamins A, C and E, along with folic acid. Artichoke lowers cholesterol, as does celeriac, and can help detoxify the liver and the kidneys; it's a good one if you've been drinking too much at Christmas parties."

Ann Paul, a nutritionist at the Balance Clinic in Glasgow, agrees. "You should be eating plenty of the orange and red foods that boost the immune system," she says. "Things such as carrots, squashes, pumpkins and beetroots, as well as red and orange peppers, are all warming. In terms of fruit, plums are a good option and still in season. Leafy greens are also very healthy - and broccoli actually has more vitamin C than some oranges."

Cooking these superfoods is straightforward, say Johnson and Paul, who recommend hearty stews and soups, bulked out with lentils, beans and other pulses, and flavoured with warming spices and garlic.

Meat-eaters need not feel left out. "The game that is in season just now is a great way to get plenty of protein, but it's also very low fat," says Johnson. "Pheasant and partridge are widely available, and a stew with venison is delicious."

Even puddings can be nutritious. Apples, says Johnson, are packed with pectin, which binds to heavy metals to cleanse the body, as well as lowering cholesterol. Baked, stuffed with dried fruit and a little brown sugar, or in a crumble topped with oats, they can kill cravings for chocolate bars. "Oats are another traditional Scottish ingredient that are really healthy," says Johnson. "They are high in protein and low in fat. Some herbalists even prescribe them for depression, so if you suffer from seasonal affective disorder then it could be worth trying."

But Johnson recognises that not everyone can face a bowl of porridge first thing. She suggests a breakfast smoothie of frozen berries, yoghurt and those energy-providing oats. And even if you're not thirsty, don't forget to drink plenty of fluids. Johnson recommends adding boiling water to mint leaves or grated ginger and honey to create warming teas. Research from the US shows that honey is a better remedy for children's coughs than some expensive medicines.

The secret to eating well in the winter, according to Shirley Spears, of the Three Chimneys restaurant on Skye, is to be guided by seasonal produce. "We have to alter the mindset away from the Mediterranean dishes we enjoy in the summer," she says. "The dark evenings are a perfect time to enjoy a bit of family home-cooking, trying out some of the more traditional dishes our mothers and grannies were so good at dishing up."

All manner of old-fashioned favourites feature in her winter repertoire. There's haggis and mince, of course. Then there are her casseroles and pot roasts, which she serves with lightly cooked and shredded curly kale and savoy cabbage, or brussels sprouts - but not as you know them. Instead, she does them al dente, tossed in melted butter with crispy chopped bacon pieces and roast chestnuts or toasted almonds.

It might seem a hassle for those used to throwing together a bowl of pasta and sauce with a salad on the side - but, says food writer Claire MacDonald, of Kinloch Lodge, also on Skye, it all comes down to planning. Pot roasts, made with cheaper cuts such as brisket, oxtail, lamb shank or ham hock, can be made at the weekend; re-heated left-overs can be used in soups and stews during the week. "And for those nights when you just want something quick, it doesn't have to be complicated," she says. "Melted cheese with a little mustard and unsweetened cider, poured over wholemeal toast, could be served alongside a spinach salad with fried walnuts."

MacDonald doesn't believe in denial, either. Fat, she insists, is good in moderation. "We have to get away from this fear of fat. Cheese and eggs are rich in protein and a certain amount isn't bad."

She also advocates the occasional glass of red wine, and for her money a meal should finish with something sweet. "Medjool dates are really delicious and satisfy that craving," she says. "But if it really has to be chocolate I have just two squares of one of the 70% cocoa ones, with some agen prunes. We shouldn't feel guilty about food."

The message is loud and clear. Winter is time to tuck in.

Oatmeal and potato soup
Shirley Spears
600g peeled and diced potatoes (choose a floury potato)
300g peeled onions, chopped quite small
50g Scottish butter
2 rounded tablespoonfuls medium oatmeal
1 litre of vegetable or chicken stock
Approximately 300ml fresh milk plus 200ml double cream
Salt, black pepper and nutmeg
Freshly chopped chives for garnish

Melt butter in a large saucepan until foamy. Add onions.Turn in butter and cook until softened. Add potatoes. Stir together with onion. Add a sprinkling of salt and ground black pepper. Allow to cook for a few minutes. Pour in stock, bring to boil and simmer with lid on for 20-30 minutes. Add oatmeal, stir and simmer for further 10 minutes. Add milk and liquidise. Reheat and finish with cream, more seasoning if necessary, and some freshly grated whole nutmeg. Serve immediately - this soup becomes thicker when left to stand - with garnish of chopped chives. If too thick, add a little more milk or cream.

Ham hough and bean casserole
Claire MacDonald
1 large ham hough
3 tbsp olive oil
3 onions (or 6 banana shallots), skinned and chopped neatly
3 leeks, washed and trimmed, and sliced about 1cm thick
3 medium-sized potatoes, peeled and chopped 3 carrots, peeled and chopped, same in size as the potatoes
2 parsnips, peeled and chopped, same in size as the carrots
1/2 turnip, peeled and chopped, same in size as the parsnips and carrots
15oz/425g tin chopped tomatoes
3 pints/1.8 litres vegetable stock - use Marigold powder or Kallo cubes, as both are additive-free Plenty of freshly ground black pepper

3 fat cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped - these become very mild in taste during the lengthy cooking time, so don't be alarmed at the amount 1lb/450g butter beans or cannellini beans Heat the olive oil in a large casserole or saucepan, and brown the ham hough on all sides. When browned, remove it from the pan and add the onions and leeks. Sauté them in the oil for five minutes or so, then add the other prepared vegetables, and the beans. Stir in the contents of the tin of tomatoes, plus the stock and the garlic. Let the liquid boil, replace the ham hough in the casserole or saucepan, bring the liquid back to simmering point, cover the pan with a lid and cook it in a slow oven at 250˚F/125˚C/gas mark 1-2 (top left oven in a four-door Aga), for at least four hours. Then take it out of the oven and lift the ham hough out.The meat should literally fall from the bone. Discard the bone and put the meat back in with the beans and vegetables. Reheat, and serve.

Plums in spiced port wine
Shirley Spears
12 desert plums, cut in half and stone
1/2 pint of ruby port
1/4 pint of water
2 strips lemon peel
1/2 cinnamon stick
4 juniper berries
4 cloves
2 cracked cardamom pods (optional)
2 bay leaves
55g soft dark brown sugar

Put the port, water, spices etc and sugar into a medium-sized saucepan. Bring to the boil slowly, allowing the sugar to dissolve completely. Stir from time to time. Add the plums. Bring back to boiling point and then reduce the heat to a low simmer. Place a lid on the saucepan and allow the plums to cook very gently for about five minutes. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl. Serve warm or chilled with custard, home-made cinnamon ice-cream, natural yoghurt or creme fraiche.

Shirley Spears is the owner of the Three Chimneys, Skye, and author of The Three Chimneys (Mercat Press, £25 hardback, £16.99 paperback).

• www.threechimneys.co.uk

Claire MacDonald is a food writer and owner of the Kinloch Lodge, Skye. Visit her website for details of cookery demonstrations, books and Christmas gifts:

• www.claire-macdonald.com