It can be hard to get excited about cabbage – but in the dark winter months it offers up an iron-rich freshness that's the perfect foil for richer flavours. These fantastic festive recipes showcase the different ways both red and white cabbage can be prepared and served as part of your Christmas dinner.

This crispy roast cabbage dish uses crumbled up chorizo for a little bit of spice, and a lemony honey dressing for some sweetness and sharpness. It's a great way to shake up the classic combination of bacon, chestnuts and cabbage.

Combining the instantly recognisable festive taste and smell of mulled wine with wedges of red cabbage, this recipe involves getting a bit of char on the outside of the brassica before braising them in the wine. The liquid is then reduced down into a sweet glaze, imbuing the leaves with a hefty hit of festive flavour.

This incredibly quick and easy side dish pairs savoy cabbage with the beautiful flavour of cooked chestnuts. Bacon lardons complete the recipe, providing pops of deliciously rich saltiness.

Side dishes don't come much more classic than this braised red cabbage recipe from Andy Waters. By adding juniper berries and green peppercorns, the dish becomes even more aromatic and is perfectly suited to the festive season.