Sweet Chestnut (Castanea Sativa)

Shiny brown nuts ripen inside softly-prickly fruits. Unlike most nuts, chestnuts have a high starch and water content but are low in protein and fat, and roasted are a popular and tasty traditional Christmas treat in Europe. The trunk of the tree is often very wide for its height, and is also recognisable by its deeply grooved bark. Its hardy nature means it still flourishes across large areas of central and western Europe but especially Great Britain where ancient specimens can be found.