Chestnuts Roasting on an open fire.

This is less a recipe, more a seasonal trip down memory lane for me. I love roast chestnuts, they bring warm memories of family time together when I was growing up. My dad used to prick the chestnuts with a knife tip and then place them in the middle of a gas hob on low, so they gently crisp up, I remember the smell like warm nutty toast as they heated up and the best bits were where they burnt/caramelised a little on the edges. Then quickly while they were still hot trying to peel the outer shell and inner furry layer off, usually juggling the nut because it was so hot, and the taste, pure essence of winter night.

Now I am a grown man, and have a family of my own, I want them to experience these simple pleasures, I am fortunate enough to have a lovely woodstove that I can cook chestnuts on, one of the first things I treated myself to was a cast iron chestnut roaster, a long handled spoon with holes in that you pop the chestnuts on and then into the embers of a fire. Wait until the outer shell starts to blacken and keep tossing the chestnuts for 6 to 8 minutes until they are cooked through. Peel off the shell and furry layer, juggling if too hot, and pop into your mouth. As I said earlier, pure essence of winter night. And now I am a grown up I can enjoy with a nice glass of autumnal pinot noir, or a toasty port.