Borscht Bourguignon

Credit: Diana Warrings, DipION | Registered Nutritional Therapist, Health Coach & Holistic Chef

Diana says: “The festive season is filled with warmth, connection, and celebration – but it can also be a time when our daily rhythms shift, meals become richer, and our bodies work a little harder behind the scenes.

“While enjoying beautiful food and company is part of the season, this time of year places extra demand on the liver – one of the body’s most extraordinary multitaskers. Supporting it now, and as we move into the new year, can help you feel more balanced, energised, and centered.

“Your liver carries out over 500 essential functions, many of which quietly shape how you feel day to day. From processing nutrients and supporting digestion to managing blood sugar and helping the body clear substances it no longer needs, it works around the clock. It also plays an important role in hormone balance, helping the body break down and remove used hormones. When liver function is supported, many people notice steadier energy, clearer skin, smoother digestion, and more balanced cycles – all foundations of midlife wellbeing.

“The goal isn’t restriction or perfection. It’s simply learning how to care for your liver – gently, consistently, and with practices that feel realistic even during busy or indulgent periods.

“To bring all of this into your kitchen, I’m sharing one of my favourite winter dishes – a deeply nourishing, liver-loving Borscht Bourguignon. It’s rich in colourful root vegetables, fibre, and grounding flavours, and it fits beautifully into both everyday winter cooking and festive menus.”

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp ghee or extra-virgin olive oil
• 300 g beetroots, peeled and cut into quarters
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes
• 2-3 carrots, peeled and sliced
• 150 g crimini mushrooms, sliced
• 1 tbsp dried porcini mushrooms, soaked in 100 ml boiling water
• 1 × 400 g pack green lentils, pre-soaked for 1 hour
• 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
• 3 shallots, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp tomato purée
• 1-2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 bay leaf
• 500 ml vegetable stock 
• 250 ml red wine
• 1 tsp tamari (or soy sauce)
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

1. Warm the ghee or olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.
2. Add the shallots and garlic and sauté for 3–4 minutes over medium heat, until softened and fragrant.
3. Add the carrots, sweet potato, and beetroots. Cook for 3-4 minutes to lightly caramelise.
4. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 minute, then deglaze with the red wine. Add the thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, and both types of mushrooms, including the soaking liquid. Let it simmer for 2-3 minutes to reduce slightly.
5. Pour in the vegetable stock, lentils, and tamari. The vegetables should be just covered with liquid. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 35-45 minutes, or until the vegetables and lentils are tender. Add more stock if needed.
6. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper and serve warm with fresh herbs and a spoon of sour cream, yoghurt, or kefir, and drizzle with a swirl of olive oil.

Tip: This stew tastes even better the next day, once the flavours deepen and the vegetables absorb more of the broth.

Diana’s gentle liver care tips for the festive season

Caring for your liver over the festive period doesn’t mean missing out. Small, intentional habits can make a meaningful difference – even when life feels fuller and meals more celebratory.

1. Start the day simply: Begin your morning with warm water with a squeeze of lemon to gently rehydrate after the night and and softly awaken digestion for the day ahead.
2. Keep meals grounded, even when festive: Enjoy indulgent foods — and aim to anchor meals with fibre rich vegetables, colourful and naturally bitter ones such as beetroot, chicory, radicchio, leafy greens, cabbage, and fresh herbs. Bitter foods help stimulate bile production and flow, which is essential for fat digestion and supports the liver’s natural processes and the fibre keeps things moving.
3. Pace alcohol mindfully: If alcohol is part of your celebrations, spacing drinks out, alternating with sparkling water, and choosing a few alcohol-free days during the week can give your liver valuable breathing room — without taking away from the joy of the season. Kombucha makes a lovely gut loving festive drink too.
4. Support bile flow with healthy fats: Including olive oil, flaxseed oil, nuts, seeds, avocado, and oily fish helps stimulate the release of bile, in support of fat digestion and the body’s natural clearance processes.
5. Move gently, but regularly: A winter walk, stretching, yoga, or light movement after meals helps stimulate circulation and digestion — both closely linked to liver function.
6. Protect your sleep: Late nights are part of celebrations, but returning to regular sleep rhythms when you can is one of the most powerful ways to support liver repair and hormone balance.
7. Reduce stress where possible: Chronic stress places extra demand on the liver and hormone pathways. Even short pauses — deep breathing, quiet moments, or time outdoors — help bring the nervous system back into balance.
8. Think in seasons, not single days: What matters most is not one rich meal or celebration, but the overall rhythm of nourishment and care across days and weeks. Returning to simple, nourishing meals between festivities allows the liver to recalibrate naturally.