How to cook seasonally this autumn
This Autumn discover the exotic earthy flavours available from your very own garden, such as roasted vegetables, wild nuts and mushrooms.
As the weather begins to cool, we begin to crave the comforting flavours and spices that autumn has to offer, from stews to casseroles, soups and pies.
One-pot meals are the perfect way to experience autumns bounty. Dishes such as a Lancaster Hotpot or Beef and Vegetable Pot Roast can happily bubble away on the stovetop while you enjoy the chilly weather by the fire. This is the best season for slow cooking, so make sure to make the most of this by buying some cheaper cuts of meat such as lamb shanks, beef shin, pork belly and brisket, which all turn into beautiful melt in the mouth cuts after a few hours in the oven.
While you’re probably less likely to be outdoors barbecuing in this colder season, you can still achieve that smoky flavour by marinating your meat with smoky seasonings, or by tenderising them and searing them on a cast iron pan or oven grill.
You can explore the many variety of soups using the best seasonal produce, such as chicken and sweetcorn soups, sweet potato soups and the seasonal star, pumpkin soup.
Tomato season sadly comes to an end when autumn approaches, so make sure to preserve some of those flavourful fruits by either freezing or canning them, or by making them into a homemade tomato sauce which can be used for pasta dishes, pizzas, and even made into chutneys and relishes. Sundried and slow roasted tomatoes are delicious in soups, and make the perfect companion in any salad or side dish.
Autumn is the time for root vegetables to take centre stage, which a wide range of dishes that they can be used in. They are delicious when slow-roasted until caramelised, then served with either rice or couscous, in a salad, or as a side for a roasted meat such as honey-glazed ham.
While pumpkin soup is a seasonal staple, this popular veggie can also be enjoyed in curries, inside puff pastry, or slow-roasted and tossed into either a pasta dish or salad.
Don’t forget the brussels sprouts this autumn, one of the most underappreciated vegetables. If you say you hate them you’ve probably never tried them cooked the right way! Try sautéing them with honey and garlic, slow roast them with olive oil and salt or shave them raw into a healthy salad with pomegranate seeds and pumpkin.
Prefer a conventional version?
Click the button to see this smart-mag as a digital interactive booklet.