Flavour Rings In The Chinese New Year

Just as we’re getting over the Gregorian New Year, seeing in 2026 with fun, food and festivities, another celebration is just around the corner.

In February, there is the Chinese Lunar New Year, specifically the year of the Fire Horse. Lasting around 15 days, the celebration is unrivalled and is envied by cultures around the globe.

Chinese New Year is a celebration filled with colour, tradition and dishes that symbolise good fortune. It is one of those moments in life when food feels even more meaningful. At Nelly’s Farm, we love any excuse to enjoy bold flavours, so this is one of our favourite celebrations (not that we need an excuse to eat!).

Chinese New Year cooking often brings together ingredients that warm you from the inside, flavours that we believe are also synonymous with Nelly’s Farm. Powerful yet homely spices such as garlic, chilli, ginger and sesame are all used to create dishes that feel exotic, but comforting at the same time. 

Those flavours sit close to home for us because many of them appear in our own range. Our Chilli and Garlic Scotch Egg, for example, has the same spirited heat that is so popular in festive New Year dishes across Asia.

While we would never claim to be anything other than a homely, local kitchen, being chefs means we enjoy taking inspiration from flavours that bring people joy. Spicy, punchy and full of character ingredients always have a place at our table, and they pair beautifully with what seems like endless, cold winter evenings in the UK.

So, whether you’re celebrating the Lunar New Year or are simply in the mood for something to warm your cockles on a rainy day, it feels like the perfect time to brighten up your grazing boards and enjoy food that carries its own sense of luck, and that’s where we come in.