November signals the beginning of party season, with Bonfire Night, Diwali, Thanksgiving and St Andrews, and no doubt lots more excuses to celebrate. Fortunately, it's also a bounteous month for food, both home-grown and imported

Cold weather always makes shellfish a good choice, and I particularly like the ubiquitous sweet, cold-water prawns from Greenland. These are ideal for the perfect prawn cocktail, a dish that's often mocked but so delicious with that perky sauce made of mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, a dash of Tabasco and some creamed horseradish.

All our meat is good in the winter, as the animals will have had a good feed on summer pastures. But my meat of choice at this time of year is game, whether hare, partridge, venison or grouse. It is lean meat, so if it's to remain tender and juicy it needs either very slow cooking or a quick spell in a hot oven or very slow cooking.

On the side
As accompaniments to game, plain, homely root vegetables, such as celeriac, parsnips and swedes are clear winners.

Wild mushrooms come a close second, while also in the running are chestnuts, cabbage and some fruits such as orange or kumquats with wild duck, and apples or prunes with wild boar.

With dark game, such as hare or wild duck, I like to serve wild rice. And with slow-cooked beef or game dishes, braised fennel and celery hearts are the perfect accompaniment.

Nature's bounty
Home-grown treasures for the fruit bowl include a wide range of English apples and pears. Most supermarkets now carry several varieties as they come into season, and it's well worth trying some of the unfamiliar names. Recently I was absolutely knocked out by the flavour of a freshly picked Blenheim Orange.

If you can find tree-ripened Coxes, this is the best time of the year to enjoy them. Generally, they are picked far too early, leaving them with an undeveloped flavour.

Over the page: Queer gear and Frances' November menu

Queer gear
This month's exotics are what greengrocers call 'queer gear' - bright yellow, fragrant quinces, leather skinned pomegranates, dusty green, knobbly custard apples, and translucent-orange persimmons, all of which come to us from the Mediterranean.

• Quinces are too hard and sour to eat raw, but they are delicious in pies, with or without apples, and can be used in savoury dishes such as Morocccan tagines.
• For me pomegranates are one of the best things to use in the kitchen. I learned to use them all the time when I was cooking in Kuwait, as the juice makes an excellent substitute for wine and wine vinegar in dressings and marinades. And they also make fabulous salad garnishes too.
• Custard apples are best as a solo treat, just halved and eaten with a teaspoon, discarding the shiny black seeds as you go.
• The very best way to use persimmons when really ripe is to put them in the freezer at the beginning of the meal. Take a thin slice off the top, and eat the sweet, semi-frozen flesh with a spoon. The colour and rich sweetness of the fruit pulp makes it very tempting to marry it with savoury dishes; try mixing it with ginger and spices as a sauce to accompany roast ham, pork or duckling.

November menu
Shellfish, game and exotic fruit make up this month's menu, the first in a sparky, Tex-Mex flavoured dish, the second, venison, in a warming, easy-to-cook casserole, which makes a handsome centrepiece for a casual supper for friends and family. And finally, I've included persimmons in a frosty, refreshing dessert.

I suggest this menu as an alternative to turkey if you celebrate Thanksgiving.

Shrimp Tostadas
Venison Cobbler with a Pumpkin Topping
Chilled Persimmon Creams

Tom Bissell's wine recommendation
I like the white wines of Alsace, and, with the first course, I would serve a Pinot Blanc, available from most supermarkets and many wine merchants. Never an expensive wine, it is wonderful with seafood and should go perfectly with Frances' tostada recipe. One of the big Alsace names is Trimbach. Look for his 1999 vintage, which is full of fruit and charm.

With the venison, it's got to be red burgundy, the traditional British accompaniment with game. Most wine shops will have a Bourgogne Rouge that won't cost the earth. But for something more special, if you can afford a tenner or so, look for a Mercurey Rouge, from the small village in the beautiful Chalonnaise region of Burgundy.

What do you most look forward to in November? Share your thoughts with Frances Bissell on the

All About Food & Drink message board.