Yemi Adelekan is a food writer and blogger who was a semi-finalist in the 2022 series of BBC TV’s Masterchef competition.

Every Saturday Yemi writes on the Stray Ferret about her love of the area’s food and shares cooking tips – please get in touch with her if you want her to review a restaurant, visit your farm, taste the produce you sell or even share a recipe.

As the year starts with talk of the dreaded 'January Blues', I find myself immersed in the rituals that bring me joy: from gratitude, journalling, cooking, planning the year ahead to storytelling through food.

With one post down—a tasty recount of my New Year’s Day dinner—it feels like the perfect time to plan what this year will mean for Yemi’s Food Stories. 

And what better setting than being snowed in since Sunday, with the world outside snuggled in white blanket and time slowed to a delicious crawl?

Snow days have a unique charm. They give us permission to pause, lean into the moment, and, in my case, embrace dishes that require patience and care. I didn’t have snow days growing up but we had rainy mornings when my mum would close her shop and make us dishes to warm us up and we would have a lie in after a full belly.

Oxtail in red pepper sauce

This week, I made one of my all-time favourites: oxtail in red pepper sauce, a dish that warms from the inside out and is layered with flavours to soothe both soul and body. My mum sold oxtail in a pepper soup broth when I was growing up so it’s an recipe that’s close to my heart.

They say: 'good food is the foundation of genuine happiness' and this meal was proof. The oxtail, tenderised in the pressure cooker to the point where it would melt in the mouth, took on a new dimension when grilled to perfection - its edges caramelised to a smoky, meaty crust.

The best part was the red sauce: a medley of tomatoes, pointed red peppers, chillies, onions, garlic, and ginger infused with spices that brought heat, depth, and immune-boosting properties.

This was comfort food with intention - spicy enough to cut through the cold and flavourful enough to inspire pause.

Homemade Hawaiian bread rolls with beef fat

I needed something to mop up every last drop of the sauce, and Hawaiian bread rolls sweet from the pineapple juice and golden caster sugar with the warmth of ginger spice were my answer. 

Their soft, pillowy texture was the perfect canvas for soaking up the oxtail’s rich sauce. But here’s where my zero-waste food ethos came into play. The fat trimmings from the oxtail didn’t go to waste. I rendered them down, creating beef fat which I brushed over the rolls to add an extra layer of savoury note. The rest? It turned humble potato cubes into a golden, crispy delight in the oven.

A nutritious twist to balance the guilty pleasure

To balance the richness of the meal, I sautéed blanched cavolo nero with olive oil, grated garlic, Aleppo chilli flakes, and shallots. 

It was a simple but nutritious addition—a slightly bitter green with just enough spice and sweetness to complement the oxtail. In a meal bursting with indulgence, this side felt like a grounding force.

This meal wasn’t just food on a plate. It was an act of recalibration - a way to celebrate the luxury of time that snow days offer and use it to plan, dream, and align with my intentions for the year. As the sauce slowly cooked and the rolls rose in the oven, I found myself carving out space for reflection and relaxation.

'People who love to eat are always the best people'

By the time the meal came together - a plate laden with oxtail in red sauce, golden roasted potatoes, sautéed cavolo nero, and those luscious bread rolls. I couldn’t help but feel a profound sense of satisfaction. This was food at its finest: unpretentious, hearty, thoughtful, and deeply personal.

As I scraped the last bit of sauce from my plate, I was reminded of something Julia Child once said: 'people who love to eat are always the best people'.

 This meal, born from being snowed in and inspired by a desire for warmth and nourishment, was a reminder of how food connects us to ourselves, our environment, and our goals.

Here’s to a new year of food stories, reviews and experiences - one slow or fast-cooked, thoughtfully prepared dish at a time. Follow me on Instagram @yummy_bydesign to see the cooked dishes.

Drop me a comment about your go-to dishes on snowy days, so other readers can try your recipe.