Lemony Savoy Cabbage with Roasted Hazelnuts — a plant-based British recipe by BOSH!
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Lemony Savoy Cabbage with Roasted Hazelnuts

This is one of those sides that completely steals the show. We came up with it when we were trying to make cabbage actually exciting, and honestly, we surprised ourselves. The savoy gets this gorgeous silky texture while still holding a little bite, and the toasted hazelnuts add a nutty crunch that works so well against the brightness of the lemon. It's simple, it's British, and it goes with pretty much everything. Make it tonight and watch it disappear before the main even hits the table.

Cook: 20 min
Serves 6

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 180°C
  • Roasting tin
  • Colander
  • Microplane or grater (for garlic & lemon zest)

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 spring onions
  • 1 large savoy cabbage
  • 1 large unwaxed lemon
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • chilli flakes to taste
  • 100g hazelnuts

Method

1

Prepare the cabbage 

  • Pull off one cabbage leaf from the stem, place the leaf on the chopping board and use a sharp knife to cut out the stem of the leaf so you are left with two halves
  • Repeat this process until the cabbage looks like billiard ball sized brussel sprouts (you can either finely slice this and use in a stir fry or throw it in your gravy pot)
  • Lay all the cabbage leaves on top of each other and cut into 3 thick strips
2

Shock the cabbage 

  • Put the strips of cabbage in the colander, put the colander in the sink and pour over the boiling water to shock the cabbage and start the cooking process
3

Prepare the remaining ingredients

  • Roughly chop the hazelnuts, place in the roasting tin, put the tin in the oven and roast for 8-10 minutes
  • Peel and grate the garlic
  • Trim and finely slice the spring onions
  • Zest the lemon
  • Half the lemon
4

Time to cook

  • Warm the olive oil in the frying pan over medium heat
  • Add the bay leaves and fry for 1 minute
  • Add the garlic and spring onion and fry for 1 minute
  • Add the lemon zest (saving a bit for garnish) and stir for 30 seconds
  • Add the savoy cabbage to the pan and toss to cook, cover and coat
  • Season to perfection with salt, pepper and a few chilli flakes, stir to combine and take off the heat
5

Time to serve 

  • Transfer the savoy cabbage to a serving plate, squeeze over a little lemon juice, sprinkle over the remaining lemon zest and hazelnuts and serve immediately with your Christmas Dinner

Tips & Variations

  • Nail the hazelnuts: Roast them in a dry pan over a medium heat and keep them moving. They can go from golden to burnt really quickly, so don't walk away. As soon as they smell nutty and look a little darker, get them off the heat.
  • Use the whole cabbage: When you're trimming out those stems, don't bin them. Henry always finely slices them and chucks them into a stir fry or a pot of gravy. Nothing wasted.
  • Make it a main: We love this piled on top of buttery mashed potato or served alongside our Mushroom and Guinness Pie for a proper, hearty British dinner.

Why This Works

The trick here is the way you prep the cabbage leaves before cooking. By stripping out the tough stem and cutting into thick strips, you get pieces that cook evenly and actually hold their shape instead of going soggy. Then the lemon does all the heavy lifting at the end, cutting through any bitterness and making the whole thing taste fresh and vibrant. Trust us on this one, the hazelnuts are not optional.