Winter food doesn’t have to be heavy

A few Mediterranean habits we keep coming back to.

Dear Olive Friend,

Here in London, winter usually pushes us toward heavier food — everything warm, slow-cooked, and comforting.

Ziling recently moved from London to Crete, and watching how she eats there has been a quiet reminder that winter doesn’t have to mean heavy.

In the Mediterranean, winter food is about balance. Clean flavours. Good ingredients. It lines up with many of the principles of the Mediterranean diet — a style of eating rich in vegetables, healthy fats, whole grains and lean proteins , which is widely recognised as one of the healthiest dietary approaches. 

These are the simple dishes she keeps coming back to.

The winter lettuce salad you’ll find in every Greek taverna

In Greece, lettuce is a winter vegetable. Once the new olive oil is harvested, this salad shows up everywhere.

You need lettuce, fresh dill, lemon, salt, and olive oil.

You cut. You drizzle. You’re done.

With freshly harvested olive oil and sharp lemon, it’s incredibly refreshing — especially alongside richer proteins like steak, roasted lamb, or salmon.

Dishes like this embody the principles of a Mediterranean-style salad: fresh vegetables and healthy fats that deliver fibre, vitamins and monounsaturated fats. 

Boiled greens (it might sound boring)

Crete is full of wild winter greens, but nothing complicated is required.

Broccoli, zucchini — literally anything green works.

Boil the greens. Take them out. Add lemon, salt, olive oil.

That’s it.

Olive oil isn’t just flavour — it’s one of the most studied healthy fats. Dietitians often cite it as a foundation for heart health and reduced inflammation in everyday cooking. 

What ties it all together

• For steak: olive oil & rosemary
• For salads: olive oil & lemon
• To change it up: olive oil with chilli or truffle

None of these meals need elaborate techniques or long ingredient lists — just purposeful combinations of simple, nutritious food.

Eating this way — vegetables, whole foods, healthy fats — aligns closely with research showing Mediterranean-style eating patterns may support long-term wellbeing.