Sweet and crunchy with a delicious nutty dressing, this Winter Slaw is a great addition to your table throughout the colder months.

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When the weather starts to turn colder, many of us start to crave comfort food. But it’s always good to keep a balance to your diet, and even I can’t eat pies and stews all winter!
So this Winter Slaw is a great way to keep some fresh, light food on the menu through the winter months. It’s perfect to go with a roast chicken and jacket potatoes for an easy mid-week dinner.
But it really comes into its own for all the big festivities of late Autumn and Winter.
A big dish of my Winter Slaw is a great addition to your table for a Bonfire Night party, or to go with leftovers from Thanksgiving or Christmas. You could also make it to go with a buffet on New Year’s Eve. You’ll find it easier to make if you use a food processor.
For these photos, I used the Panasonic MK-F800 and it made light work of all the chopping and grating. If you don’t have a food processor, you can still make it by hand. Try to chop the cabbage as finely and evenly as you can.
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This recipe makes a great big bowlful of slaw, so halve the quantities if you’re not feeding a crowd! And feel free to switch things up to suit your preferences. As long as you have the cabbage base then any crunchy veg can be added to this slaw, you might like to try fennel, celeriac or radishes.
Winter Slaw (8-10 portions)

This Winter Slaw is a great addition to your table at Christmas, Thanksgiving or just for a mid-week dinner. As long as you have the cabbage base, feel free to play around with the ingredients to suit your taste.
- 1/2 medium red cabbage
- 1/2 medium white cabbage
- 1 green apple
- 4 medium carrots peeled
- Two handfuls of flat leaf parsley
- Pomegranate seeds optional
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove peeled and finely minced
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 teaspoon caster sugar
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons walnut oil
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive or rapeseed oil
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Remove the outer leaves and core from the cabbages, and cut each half in half again. Use the fine slicing blade on your food processor to slice both of them finely. Pile the chopped cabbage into a large bowl.
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Cut the apple into quarters and remove the core, then use a grating blade to grate the apple coarsely. Gently squeeze to get rid of some of the excess juice from the apples (don’t squash them!) and add the fruit to the bowl.
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Grate the carrots and add those to the bowl, then give everything a good mix together. Using your hands is the easiest way!
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To make the dressing, mix the mustard, garlic, sugar and salt in a bowl. I often have a tube of garlic puree in the fridge, and you can substitute a teaspoon of that for the fresh garlic.
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Mix in the white wine vinegar, and then whisk in the oils, slowly adding one tablespoon at a time to make an emulsion.
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Alternatively, put everything in a clean jam jar, screw on the lid firmly and shake it to mix!
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Dress the Winter Slaw with the dressing, giving everything another good mix together. This will sit happily in the fridge until it is needed.
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Just before you serve the slaw, mix in a couple of handfuls of roughly chopped flat leaf parsley. If you like, a topping of pomegranate seeds adds colour, sweetness and crunch!
Thanks for the recipe. Perfect for this time of year!
Thanks Nikolina – it’s definitely ideal for a Christmas party or buffer dinner!