The nights are closing in and the mercury is falling. It won’t be long before the whipping wind is rattling the windows and Jack Frost is nipping at our toes. (Unless you’re north of Townsville, in which case stop looking so smug – it rains in your summer and you have box jellyfish!) Let’s face it, for most of us this is a depressing time, but follow my rules and you’ll find winter can be quite bearable, or you can call me Pollyanna Preston.

1. The absence of warm sunny days is an excuse to hibernate

Suddenly breakfast in bed makes sense, as the lure of laying a table in the morning sun evaporates. Also, while tradition talks of the scarcity of winter, this is always preceded by an early-winter period of feasting and hoarding. Then there are the benefits of plumper livestock that have ‘fed-up’ for winter. Some plants and trees also hibernate, a phase known as vernalisation. It’s vital to some plants as it affects their ability to flower and germinate. So without the cold you wouldn’t get wheat, apples or raspberries (which ideally require 700 hours of winter chill to fruit well). The bounty of summer relies on the cold of winter – so suck it up, princess!

2. Winter forces us to be creative in the kitchen

True, spring, summer and autumn might be the best seasons for produce, but think of the wonderful inventiveness of cooks confronted with just Brussels sprouts, cabbage and root vegetables, such as turnips, swedes and parsnips. I’ve heard of a Greek island where the only veg they have for the three months of winter is silverbeet, and that one village has 34 local recipes for it. While cooking ‘seasonal’ and ‘regional’ may reduce choice, it does encourage innovation. Oh, and there are always those little nuggets of sunshine, like blood oranges, breaking through.

3. You can book a table at your favourite restaurant again

Eating at food trucks has become unpleasant because of the cold, signalling the end of the alfresco taco and burger season, but the good news is that with a dearth of tourists, major events and weddings, it is much easier to get a booking at Australia’s best restaurants. And it’s the cheaper places that tend to get busier, as people try and chase away the blues with a budget-friendly feed.

4. There’s no better excuse for a party than banishing the winter blues

At least the miserable, winter days are shorter than the lovely summer ones. As the saying goes, “misery likes company”, so what better time to get a mob of people together to celebrate with classic winter dishes – soups, stews and roasts – or just take the easy route and book a big noisy table at your local BYO Chinese.

5. Did I say it was cold?

Well, it is and I hate wearing so many clothes to weed the garden. The only way to deal with the inclement days is face-first. Get out for a long, brisk walk. Get your cheeks stung by the wind and rain. Wonder at the pounding power of the ocean – and our brave fishermen. Then you’ll appreciate the piping-hot pumpkin soup, that mug of thick, rich hot chocolate with marshmallows and the bottle of red in front of the fire even more. And did anyone mention apple crumble, bread-and-butter pudding and golden-syrup dumplings? Desserts designed to put on a layer of protective fat so you can dump one of those layers of clothing. Each of these dishes is a winter panacea.

Winter ain’t that bad, and even if it is, it’s only a couple of months until the first spring blossom.

For more by Matt Preston be sure to check out his profile here. Also be sure to check out our winter warmer recipe collection for the best winter recipes, here.