Autumn Flavours have Arrived

It’s that time of year when we start to think about one-pot dishes packed with hearty, warming ingredients.

As the weather turns colder, it’s time to crank up the stove and opt for food that’s good for the soul as well as the stomach.

Image credit: Pixabay

As the weather fails to wrap us up in warmth and comfort, our food needs to do so. We’re still months away from the festive gorging of the Christmas period, so it’s the perfect time to enjoy the very best of autumn’s bounty.

The autumn months are a time to celebrate stews, hotpots and anything else that you can cook in one deliciously warming pot.

On the vegetable front, it’s the perfect time of year to indulge in rich, flavoursome squashes and pumpkins, as well as to enjoy the last of the summer’s glut of tomatoes and carrots.

Leeks, beetroot and field mushrooms are also at their best at this time of year and are ideal for bolstering hearty dishes.

Autumn is also a wonderful time of year for indulging your sweet side. Jam-making is a rewarding way to use up excess berries at this time of year, while out in the orchard a plethora of perfect pie fruits is reaching optimum ripeness.

Apples, pears, blackberries and plums invite happy hours in the kitchen spent kneading the perfect pastry and cooking up delicious pie fillings. Of course, seasonal fruits are so versatile that they’re not just for desserts, as my recent Jazz Apple and Goat Cheese Flatbread Recipe so ably demonstrated!

If you enjoy making your own liqueurs, autumn is also a bountiful season. Damson liqueur and sloe gin are two excellent creations that celebrate the best of the cooler months by making use of fresh autumn produce.

Or why not try getting creative with freshly ripened elderberries? Liqueurs and home-produced gins can make fabulous homemade Christmas gifts, so why not invest in some pretty bottles and tags to give your family and friends a wonderfully personalised treat over the festive period?

Just be sure to make enough that you have some leftovers to enjoy yourself!

A recent post on the www.deliveroo.co.uk blog points out the popularity of home cooking even when it's cooked by chefs and being delivered rather than made at home.

The article featured a macaroni cheese touted as being perfect for duvet days - and this is precisely what autumn food should be about.

The popularity of the Sunday roast at our local pubs should be evidence enough, as should the small, independent cafes that also serve home-cooked lunches that are popping up across the country.

Image credit: Pixabay

September and October are two of the most exciting months when it comes to eating seasonal foods.

This time of year sees a notable shift in the type of produce available locally, making seasonal shopping particularly fun.

Pickling and preserving are great ways to harness the last of the summer’s bounty and store it up for the winter months ahead, and these activities are perfect for those autumn days when the weather means that venturing out of the house seems particularly unappealing.

What better excuse could you need for spending the day getting creative in the kitchen and filling the house with all manner of delicious autumn scents?

This post is sponsored by Deliveroo.