/ 25 November 2025

Alexandra Dudley Shares 3 Fresh Ways With Apples

In her new monthly column, SheerLuxe contributor Alexandra Dudley is shining a spotlight on one hero ingredient. This instalment focuses on apples, including the best ways and places to try it.

Alexandra Dudley

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THE INGREDIENT: Apples

It’s apple season which means apple crumble, apple pie, hot cider and apple compote. While apples are delicious in sweet recipes, they’re also very good in savoury ones and are often the ingredient I lean on to add some acidity to a something creamy or rich. Here, I pair them with a creamy Caesar salad made with winter leaves for a bit more body. I also think they work better with the creamy dressing.

THE TIPS:

FOR SWEET…

GRANOLA: Cook down the apples, blitz them into a sauce and use them to sweeten your granola for a natural sweetener.

PANCAKES: Swap your berries or banana for apples the next time you make pancakes. Heat a tablespoon each of butter and sugar in a pan and cook sliced apple until sticky and golden.

BIRCHER: Grate apple into oats and stir through seeds, a pinch of cinnamon and your milk of choice. Decant it into jars and you’ve got breakfast for the week.

CAKE: I love apple cake. This one from Alison Roman is on my list to make.

FOR SAVOURY…

SALAD: Thinly slice or julienne the apple and toss it into salads like this one, below.

BRAISED: Anything you plan on slow-cooking or braising, add apple. It works wonderfully with chicken, lamb or pork.

APPLE HASHBROWNS: Grate apple and toss it with grated potato and onion, shape it into patties and fry until golden either side for hashbrowns or mini rostis.

ON THE CHEESEBOARD: I think we often forget about apples when decking out a cheeseboard, but they are a great addition – especially with a salty, hard cheese like manchego.

Inspired? Try this month's recipe

Apple Winter Green Chicken Caesar Salad

Ingredients

Ingredients:

200g of cavolo nero

2 heads of red chicory

1 firm apple, such as braeburn

2 handfuls of shredded chicken

40g of roasted hazelnuts, crushed or roughly chopped

For the dressing:

150g of Greek yogurt

50g tin of anchovies (including their oil)

1 small garlic clove

1 tsp of Dijon mustard

Juice of half a lemon

1 tbsp of olive oil

2 tbsp of finely grated grana padano

Method

Step 1

Pull the cavolo nero leaves from the stems and roughly tear into bowl. Add a slosh of olive oil, juice of half a lemon and a pinch of salt and massage the leaves with your hands to break them down a little.

Step 2

Separate and wash the chicory leaves.

Step 3

Combine the dressing ingredients in a high-speed blender until smooth and creamy.

Step 4

Slice the apple into matchstick pieces. Add to the cavolo nero along with the chicory, shredded chicken, dressing and most of the hazelnuts and toss until everything is coated.

Step 5

Finish with more finely grated Grana Padano and the remaining chopped hazelnuts.

THE ACCESSORY:

Apple Bag Charm From Coach

It feels appropriate that we should jingle a bit as we head into the festive season. This apple charm is such an easy way to give a bag a new lease of life for the Christmas period.

Visit COACH.COM

THE SWEET TREAT:

The Apple Crumble Éclair From Paul

A delicate éclair filled with Paul’s signature pastry cream and a layer of apple compote with a buttery biscuit topping. These are a great hack if you need a quick dinner party pudding too. Grab them while you can, as they are a seasonal special.

Visit PAUL-UK.COM

THE COOKBOOK:

Apple: Recipes From The Orchard By James Rich

This is the cookbook you need if you find yourself with a glut of apples. It’s a beautiful collection of over 90 recipes including apple, cherry and kale salad and comforting slow-roasted pork belly with pickled apple.

Visit AMAZON.CO.UK