With its earthy flavour and striking colour (whether deep purple, pink or yellow), it's no wonder so many chefs are incorporating the root vegetable into their menus. The fun needn't end after the savoury courses, either – beetroot desserts have been a rising culinary trend for many years now, such as Heinrich Schneider's Beetroot sorbet recipe, served with lavender mousse and fragrant verbena meringue.

There are many different ways of preparing and enjoying beetroot. Fabrizio Marino uses compressed and fermented beetroot in his Healthy gazpacho recipe, while Norbert Niederkofler creates a sweet and sour salad made from pickled beetroot. Many chefs also choose to harness beetroot's natural strength as a food colouring – try Norbert Niederkofler's Beetroot gnocchi recipe or Emanuele Scarello's Beetroot pasta with caviar to add some drama to your table.