I don’t know what February is about any more. In the past few weeks, I’ve been variously thrashed by barbaric sleet and lulled by gentle blue-sky days that whisper seductively of spring. The cherry tree outside my window is already blowsy with pink blossom – and yet I still get a chill if I stick my toe through the front door without my woolly socks on.

To be honest, it’s giving me a bit of a split personality when it comes to dinner time. My appetite is torn between duvet comfort – soups, stews, risottos and the like – and a craving for fresh, clean flavours that will haul me through what remains of the winter gloom.

That might seem a tall order, seeing as we’re approaching the low ebb for home-grown fruit and veg. But happily, when the domestic larder is almost bare, there are plenty of optimistically zesty citrus fruit and crisp winter leaves to add freshness and crunch. Even earthy roots, given the right treatment, can be cajoled into salads that taste strangely of summer.

So this week’s recipes are about satisfying both my inner voices. There are some uplifting salads, a creamy risotto to soothe and console, plus a simple pud that looks ahead to brighter days. Roll on springtime, that’s what I say.

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