Swede is often overlooked, but it’s actually a key ingredient in one of our all-time favourite foods, the Cornish pasty. Only those made in Cornwall to an official recipe can be called Cornish. Swede can also be used as a low-fat alternative to pasta, like in a duck ragu with pappardelle & swede, and it tastes fantastic when blended into a silky soup, like a curried swede soup, making it a highly versatile veg. Swede is even an ingredient in the popular Branston Pickle.
Swedes are ready for harvesting when the roots are around 10-15cm in diameter. Lever them out of the ground with a fork as required, or store them in slightly damp sand in a cool but frost-free, dry shed.
Are Swedes and Rutabaga the same vegetable?
Yes, there is no difference between swede and rutabaga. Rutabaga is simply the North American term for a swede. In fact there are many different names for a swede, such as, Swedish turnip, Neeps, or simply turnip (not to be confused with the related White Turnip).
How to cook Swede
Many swede recipes pair the vegetable with Carrot due to their complementary flavours. Carrot and swede mash is a common way to prepare swede in a meal. We have included a recipe for swede roast with carrots and parsnip below
Another way of cooking swede is to pair it with potatoes such as neeps and tatties, a traditional part of a Burns supper in Scotland. The pairing of swede and potato mash is often called clapshot.
Swede Roast Recipe
Discover new and delicious ways with this thrifty root veg with swede roast.
Ingredients
½ swede, peeled
2 large carrots, peeled
2 parsnips, peeled
1 raw beetroot, peeled
½ celeriac, peeled
2 tbsp olive oil
Few sprigs fresh thyme
Sea salt flakes
Method
Heat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas 7.
Cut the vegetables into chunks approximately the same size.
Toss all the vegetables with the olive oil and put into a large roasting tin. Top with the thyme sprigs.
Bake in the oven until tender, about 40-50 minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve at once.
