According to Vogue, ‘2026 is the year of the cabbage’, and obviously, I’m chuffed. It’s the best PR a cabbage could get.
This is the first of a few cabbage recipes coming to you this year, but we are kicking them off with the most beautiful cabbage (IMO): the January king.
The January King is predominantly a winter cabbage, harvested between October and February in the UK. It has the same floral shape as the savoy cabbage, but with a purple tinge to the end of its leaves. It’s a colour combination I’m sure Vogue would approve of.
JANUARY KING CABBAGE GRATIN
Good as a side, great as a main. Plus, it makes a great stand-in for cauliflower cheese on a Sunday roast.
Ingredients
- 60 g salted butter
- 1 January king chopped into 8 wedges
- 400 ml double cream
- 200 ml milk
- 3 garlic cloves bashed
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 150 g gruyere grated
- 30 g breadcrumbs
- salt & freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 160°c (fan-assisted).
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Melt half the butter in a heavy-bottomed oven-proof pan over a medium-high heat. Add 4 wedges of cabbage and a good pinch of salt, then fry for 4-5 minutes each side, or until golden and starting to char. Remove them from the pan, then repeat with the remaining butter and wedges of cabbage.
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Meanwhile, combine the double cream, whole milk, garlic, thyme, a good pinch of salt and a few good grinds of black pepper in a medium saucepan. Warm them together over a low-medium heat, until the mixture is almost at a boil. Add most of the gruyere (saving a big handful for the top), stir to melt the cheese, then remove the pan from the heat. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if needed.
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Arrange the cabbage into a circular pattern in its pan. Pour over the cream mixture (you can remove the garlic and thyme here if you like, but I just leave them in), then finish with the breadcrumbs, the reserved gruyere cheese and a good crack of black pepper. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden and bubbling around the edges. Let it sit for 5 minutes before digging in.
In my opinion, Vogue is right about the humble cabbage; it deserves a lot more limelight than it gets. If you’re looking for more cabbage-based recipes, I’ve got a few knocking about here on my website. My Cabbage Fritti with a Chilli 5 Spice Glaze is one of my favourites. Or, for more recipe inspiration, head over to my Instagram.
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