Welcome to January

This time last year I was embarking on my first ‘dry January’. I was inspired by another food writer, who quite rightly pointed out that it’s perhaps the easiest time of year to cut back because “everyone is doing it”, so there’s far less peer pressure to “oh, go on, have one”. I succeeded, in the most part – we’ll skip over a Dubai brunch that descended into debauchery – but I realised that cutting things out of my diet just isn’t for me.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – we’re all about the joy here at O. That doesn’t mean we’re constantly gorging ourselves. It means that we take pleasure from food and drink in all its forms – whether that be from a thick slab of bread slathered with a wedge of cold salted butter and dollops of chunky marmalade, or from a mug of medicinal hot lemon water, spiked with fiery ginger juice and sweetened with honey. Or it could be joy from the Tunworth cheese mashed potato with pig’s trotter and crackling and salty syrah I had at a new London restaurant (turn to page 82 for more). It all has its place.

But perhaps what January is a good for is to remind us to find the balance after a heavy Christmas. If you want to boost your veg intake, for example, you won’t go far wrong with the spiced cauliflower soup or Sri Lankan carrot curry in our seasonal feature. Or perhaps you’re looking to nourish yourself with a spot of batch cooking – our hearty but healthy salads are just the ticket. Or maybe you want to balance those cold winter evenings with the equivalent of a culinary hug, courtesy of Sabrina Ghayour. Her exclusive new recipes take comfort classics and give them her signature spice – kofte shepherd’s pie, anyone?

We’ve also got new ways to jazz up your weekend crumpet, time-saving one-pan midweek dinners and our regular healthy ideas, and plenty more besides (including an incredibly fudgy vegan brownie).

So, don’t punish yourself. Take this month to recalibrate, to plan adventures and to discover something new. And here’s to a 2019 full of joy!