A pot of broth murmuring quietly at the back of the stove is one of the great comforts of the British year. It asks very little of you — a few roots, a handful of lentils, some herbs and a good stock — and gives back a deep, nourishing bowl that costs pennies. This is slow living at its most practical: cooking that fits around your day rather than demanding your attention.

Why broth suits the slow season

From late October through to early spring, the vegetable drawer is full of things that were made for simmering. Parsnips sweeten after a frost, swedes turn mellow and buttery, celeriac loses its sharpness once it has had half an hour in liquid. These are vegetables that improve with patience rather than speed.

Broth is also wonderfully forgiving. There is no precise moment when it is ruined, no need to watch a timer to the second. You can leave it ticking over while you stack logs, walk the dog or finish a chapter, coming back to stir and taste. That gentle rhythm — a stir, a sniff, a small adjustment — is part of the pleasure.

What to gather

You need roughly 500g of prepared vegetables to 1.5 litres of stock, though the quantities are forgiving. Aim for a mix rather than a single vegetable, so the finished broth tastes round rather than flat.

• Roots and alliums: carrots, parsnips, swede, celeriac, a couple of potatoes, one or two leeks, an onion, a few cloves of garlic, Jerusalem artichokes if you have them.
• Greens for the end: shredded kale, savoy cabbage, spring greens or the tops of leeks, added in the last ten minutes so they keep a little bite.
• Something to thicken and fill: 100g of green or brown lentils, a handful of pearl barley, or a cup of split peas. Red lentils will break down and give you a thicker, more purée-like bowl.
• Herbs and seasoning: a bay leaf or two, thyme, rosemary, parsley stalks, a few black peppercorns, salt to finish.
• Optional depth: a Parmesan rind, a ham hock, a rasher or two of bacon, or a spoonful of tomato purée.

Start with a stock worth building on

Everything rests on the stock, so make it good. If you roast a chicken, keep the carcass and simmer it with an onion, a carrot, a bay leaf and a few peppercorns for two to three hours. Vegetable trimmings — peelings, mushroom stalks, celery leaves, outer leek layers — can be kept in a bag in the freezer and turned into stock whenever the bag is full. A well-made stock needs nothing more than a bare simmer and time; a hard boil will turn it cloudy and muddy the flavour.

If you are using cubes or a shop-bought liquid stock, taste before you commit. Many are saltier than you expect, so use a little less than the packet suggests and finish with water rather than adding more. When ham or bacon is in the pot, hold back on salt entirely until the end.

The gentle simmer

Warm a tablespoon of butter or olive oil in a large, heavy pan over a low heat. Add the onion and leek with a pinch of salt and cook for ten minutes until soft and glossy, but not browned — colour will darken the finished broth. Add the chopped roots, cut to roughly equal 2cm pieces so they cook at the same rate, and stir for five minutes.

Pour in 1.5 litres of stock, add the bay, thyme, peppercorns and any ham or Parmesan rind, and bring to the faintest simmer — just a few bubbles breaking the surface. Cook for 40 minutes. Add the lentils or barley and continue for another 25 to 30 minutes, until the pulses are tender and the roots give way to a spoon. Stir in the shredded greens for the final ten minutes.

Now taste, and only now add salt. A squeeze of lemon juice or a teaspoon of cider vinegar will lift the whole pot if it tastes a little dull — you need far less than you would think. A handful of chopped parsley and a drizzle of your best olive oil at the table finish it beautifully. Serve with buttered toast, a cheese scone or oatcakes.

Freezing, reusing and wasting less

This is a thrifty recipe by nature, and it rewards a little organisation. Cool the broth quickly by sitting the pan in a sink of cold water, then refrigerate within 90 minutes and freeze within a day. Portion it into 500ml tubs or flatten it into freezer bags, leaving 2cm of headspace for expansion. It keeps well for three months.

Reheat gently until piping hot, loosening with a splash of stock or water — lentil-based broths thicken considerably as they stand. Leftovers make an excellent base for a shepherd's pie, a risotto, a gravy or a pasta sauce, so freeze in small portions as well as large ones. A bowl of this broth, made from what you already had, is slow living at its most quietly satisfying.