A knob of butter
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
• 1 large potato, diced
• 400g sweet chestnuts
• 1–1.2 litres vegetable stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 150–200ml single cream
Cut a cross in the top of each chestnut.
Pre-heat the oven to at least 200 degrees C.
Place chestnuts scattered out evenly on a baking Tray
Bake for 30 minutes.
These are best eaten while still warm so be careful and remove the outer hard shell first.
Name: Sweet Chestnuts
Location: Under Sweet Chestnut Trees
Months: October
Edible Parts: Inside the shell including skin
Non-Edible Parts: Everything else
We foraged around 2.2kg of sweet chestnuts in one hour today and there are stil plenty more to be had. The special thing about sweet chestnuts is not only are they packed full of goodness but they are only viable every few years. Not every crop of Chestnuts will be ripe every year. If the chestnut is soft, and small and flat/angular in appearance they are not ready for eating. You may go some years without seeing any viable chestnuts. That’ why as soon as we saw good chestnuts this year, we went crazy collecting as many as possible for our snacks and Christmas of course!
Sweet Chestnuts don’t taste great raw, although they can be eaten this way. Don’t be put off if you try them raw, get these bad boys roasted and then try them to avoid disappointment.
