Rainbow Food

Brighten up dull winter days or exploit the bounty of summer by creating a rainbow of colourful food on your plate

Spinach, Pink Grapefruit and Walnut Winter Salad Spiced Red Cabbage with Gammon Steaks Grilled Haddock with Salsa Verde Pan-Fried Chicken Breasts with Herb and Tomato Relish Ice Cream and Fruit with Mango Puree

A variety of colour not only gives a strong visual impact, it also means you will most likely be getting a good nutritional balance. If it excites the eye it will excite the palate so try and think of food as three dimensional: a combination of colour, texture and taste.

Colourful food doesn't have to go into hibernation for the winter. The colder months can offer a cornucopia of rich and attractive colours and tastes that will stand up to the demands of slow-cooked, comfort casseroles or brighten up winter salads. And you don't have to resort to fruit and vegetables that have been flown thousands of food miles. However, if you're feeling indulgent, a lovely ripe mango can brighten up even the greyest day.

Think salad and you normally think of summer, but in the later months of winter our bodies are often crying out for some fresh green leaves. Rocket and spinach are sold all year round while raw spinach is full of cancer-fighting antioxidants, and both have a stronger, more interesting flavour than plain lettuce.

But vegetables aren't just limited to green. Slice a red cabbage in half and you have a design worthy of a modern art exhibition. And don't forget the small, finishing touches like fresh herbs. What looks more inviting than a steaming jacket potato with a dollop of soured cream and a sprinkling of vibrant green chives?