the flavours of fall
From spice to harvest – autumn’s best on your plate
Catherine Lawson
Autumn is the time when harvests are ripe and flavours are abundant. Nourished through the hot, hazy days of summer, the earth offers up the fruits of its labour in a last blaze of glory before winter sets in. As we, like the world around us, shake off summer, we find ourselves turning to familiar comforts as the days get shorter and the nights turn cold. The foods we associate with cosiness find their way back into our kitchens, and the flavours we crave change like the colours of the leaves. It’s a time for us to gather and feast.
In autumn, vibrancy and subtlety go hand in hand. Bright orange pumpkins which remind us of the ghoulish candlelit carvings of years gone by, now comfort us with the gentle flavour they bring to pies, soups and slow cooked stews. The deep purple woodland brambles we fondly remember gathering like precious jewels bring a burst of sweetness, and a reminder of our childhood, to crumbles, compotes and condiments. We find ourselves embracing root vegetables in all the rich colours of autumn – gold, magenta, deep purple and orange – each with their own soft flavours, and all with that comforting earthiness which grounds and sustains us.
Flavours which are too heavy for us in the warmer months find their moment in autumn, replacing the lighter, fresher tastes of summer. The pumpkin spiced lattes we cradle in cold hands wrap us in the scent of cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves as they warm us from the inside out. Mulled wine, spiced cider and hot chocolate become drinks of choice as we reach for something sweeter, slightly spicier and more indulgent, each sip conjuring memories of starlit firework displays and nights spent in PJs, sheltering from October gales. We mix salted caramel, toasted marshmallow and toffee apple flavours into cakes, bakes, and puddings, smiling as the scent of hot buttered sugar serves up a slice of nostalgia. And apples, plums and pears at their ripest send us searching for new recipes and unearthing old ones, scribbled on the back of envelopes by our grandmothers, as we quietly pledge to make the most of those windfall fruits.
We shift our cooking styles in line with the seasons too, favouring low and slow in search of deeper umami flavours and meat which falls clean off the bone. We serve up rich red wine gravies and creamy mashed potatoes with more butter than we like to admit and sometimes, if we’re lucky, we get all of those comforts at once in a generous gold crusted helping of shepherd’s pie served hot and bubbling and straight from the oven. The soup pot finds its way back to our stoves where it stays until spring as we fill flasks, mugs and bowls with everything from the humble lentil to foraged wild mushrooms and garden gathered herbs. Whole worlds of flavour are cooked in those pots, nourishing everyone from the youngest to the oldest round our tables, each with their own longed-for favourite.
It’s a glorious time in the world of food; a time infused with as many memories as there are colours and flavours. As the seasons change, we seek comfort in foods which evoke feelings of nostalgia; foods which take us back to our roots. We quietly prepare for winter by enjoying meals that bring warmth, energy and the abundance of health-giving nutrients found in the seasonal produce around us: Mother Nature is clever that way.
In the quiet rituals of gathering, cooking, and eating together we find an invitation to slow down like the world around us. It’s there in the rhythmic chopping of vegetables, the careful stirring of simmering pots, and the baking of bread which we’ll pass round the table to dunk in our hot bowls of soup. Autumn is the time to reconnect with ourselves and each other as we share the joys of a season filled with flavour and the comfort of familiarity.
