Walnuts and celeriac are the flavours of the month. We are lucky that walnuts grow well in some areas of Australia. They are a wonderful nut, with many uses through their different stages of ripeness. Walnuts are related to Pecan, Persian and Hickory nuts and grow on rather large trees. When very young and green, the shell is still soft and they can be pickled (a favourite Anglo-Saxon accompaniment to game), preserved in sugar syrup to be consumed as a Greek spoon-sweet, or used in savoury Middle Eastern dishes.

Ripe walnuts have an inedible, tough outer shell with the flesh in two parts, separated by a thin, inedible papery membrane. Mature Walnuts are eaten as a snack, as they are, salted or scorched, used in fillings, as part of patés and terrines, in cakes, biscuits and breads or crushed to make an expensive, but delicious, oil. Care has to be taken with shelled or processed walnuts as they easily go rancid.

Celeriac is a gnarly, invariable earthy-looking, circular bulb that many Australians have not yet discovered. The root of a type of celery plant, it smells and tastes similar to celery stalks and lovage (a related leafy herb), though all three are very different in texture. It needs to be peeled and any woody sections on the extremity of the root removed. As it discolours with exposure to air it needs to be rubbed with an acidulated solution made with lemon or vinegar.

Celeriac can be grated finely and made into a salad or mixed with mayonnaise to make a rémoulade. It can be boiled or baked or puréed on its own or added to mashed potatoes. It is a most versatile vegetable and if you like baked parsnip you’ll love Celeriac.