One of my favourite months of the year is finally here. It has that lovely autumnal feeling of crisp mornings, darker evenings and the unique autumn smell I’m not sure I could pin down. Damp leaves and soil mixed with the soft smell of dew maybe.
I live by a park overrun by squirrels, and they are loving life as much as I am. I heard them chirping away to each other even today with their full cheeks. I imagine I’ll be much the same throughout the month to be honest.
Most importantly though, a new month brings a renewed passion for cooking, different ingredients and more warming hearty dishes! So, what have we got on the table?
October Vegetables & Flavours
I checked out Abel & Cole’s All British Veg Box https://www.abelandcole.co.uk/british-vegetable-box for some extra ideas of what’s in season this month, listed below are a few of the key ingredients I’ll be cooking with.
- Apples
- The last few blackberries
- Brassicas – Cabbage, Cauliflower, Broccoli
- Leeks
- Potato
- Squash
- Pumpkin
- Kale
- Chard
- Marrow
- Cavolo Nero
This is a really fantastic selection of vegetables, lots of varieties and lots of nutrients. My personal favourites are Cauliflower, Leeks and Cavolo Nero. Think my French Cauliflower Cheese Pie, leek and potato soup. Or last year I discovered roasted leeks, where you peel of the crispy outside layers to revel super tender and soft inside layers that melt in the mouth. And the Italian classic Cavolo Nero cooks down much more easily than traditional kale, so I find really easy to cook and eat.
I really wanted to go apple picking this year and have been desperately trying to find some pick your own farms, but they are surprisingly few and far between. Lots for pick your own pumpkins, but hardly any for apples. If anyone knows of any good ones, please leave me a comment below! I found a few based around Kent, but that’s not exactly nearby me. So, I think I’ll be resorting to scrumping when I see a heavily laden tree, within reach of a public space of course. Surely the owner isn’t going to eat them all!? I’ve also been rather curtailed in my activity because unfortunately I ruptured my Achillies Tendon playing netball and am hobbling around in a rather fetching black Velcro boot that has a permanent high heel. One leg is now longer than the other, so my lopsided gait is most unbecoming.
Of course, who can forget the rise of the squash, from long forgotten vegetable to one that is found everywhere. I have a personal preference for the little, tiny squash you find now. Aldi always have a great selection of them this time of year. Although I suppose you could have them for decorating purposes, I’ll be eating mine every which way. Roasted, stuffed, mashed, in soup, until I have squash coming out my ears.
What about the flavours I’ll be cooking with in October? For me, autumn/winter vegetables go with quite strong flavours. Ones that warm you up from the inside out, so lots of chillies and spices, curry powders and cumin, smoked paprika, ground coriander and coconut milk. Alongside those, we have the other more British ingredients of cheeses, dried fruits and chutneys.
More robust alcohols like Rum and Stout really come into their own in October, adding a darker element to drinks and cooking. A stout stew or hotpot, and a rum flavoured dessert go down a treat, especially after a good walk round the park or woods admiring the trees with their ever changing leaves. Unless of course you too have the dreaded black boot permanently attached to your foot…
I also find that Autumn is a time for dessert. I don’t have a particularly strong sweet tooth, beyond an unhealthy addiction to chocolate, but I can appreciate the need for a good dessert or pudding, especially when shows like Bake Off are back on our screens. Pie specifically I would say in autumn. Pecan pie, apple pie, even pumpkin pie, any pie!
What’s on the blog this month?
There are lots of plans and ideas floating around in my little brain and I can’t wait to bring them all to you. I’ve got a series starting this month with one person roasts. Think one person English Beef Roast! With, of course, all the trimmings.
I’ll have some warming soups for an autumnal lunch, perfect for taking to the office or enjoying at home. And a great way to use up some leftovers. Plus, perfect pastry for my Mum’s pecan pie recipe!
But for now, I have my drink of the month. A pumpkin spice latte Martini.
Recipe
Serves 1 – 10 minutes prep (24 hour inactive) – Cocktail Shaker & Glass
1 Scoop / 1 tbsp ground coffee
1 cinnamon stick or 2 tsp ground cinnamon
½ Nutmeg or 1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
50ml Vodka
25ml Kahlua
1 tsp single cream
Ice
To make the coffee base we’ll make a cold brew coffee, in a mug mix one scoop of ground coffee smash up the cinnamon stick and nutmeg, and add to the mug with the coffee.
Fill the mug with water. Leave in the fridge to infuse for 24-48 hours.
Add ice to a cocktail shaker.
Strain the coffee through a strainer if you have one, or a makeshift kitchen towel filter if not, into a shot measure or jug. 50ml or two shots of the coffee should go into the cocktail shaker.
Add vanilla extract, vodka and Kahlua to the shaker and shake for 30 seconds.
Strain into martini or coupe glass.
Pour the single cream over the back of a spoon onto the cocktail to make a cream float.
Dust with cinnamon or garnish with a cinnamon stick
Enjoy your autumnal drink!
I’ll speak to you all again very soon with my first recipe of October. Enjoy the month and don’t let shorter days get you down, make the house as cosy and welcoming as possible and get out in the fresh air when you can!
Lots of love,
Fern
Leave a Reply