How to get the best root vegetables and to get the best out of them

There’s something comforting and yet magical about root vegetables. In a personal tribute to them the great chef Alain Ducasse said that “Everything that pushes up out of the earth I love. Everything under the earth, root vegetables, I love to cook”. These culinary delights rest in the darkness, saturated by all the nutrients from the soil until they feel ready to be exposed. Roots are a hardy bunch too – good gardeners would tell you that a parsnip’s only really ready to eat when it has experienced a hardy frost.