Autumn is here! This is the perfect time to get cosy with your loved ones in the cooling weather and whip up some heart-warming, tummy-filling home-cooked meals.
Autumn brings a rich variety of amazing ingredients to cook with. From beetroot, cabbage and mushrooms, there are a lot of amazing dishes you can create using seasonal produce. So, let’s get started with the season’s freshest, finest, and most delicious produce.
Beetroot
Who does not love beetroot? This vegetable has too many health benefits to count and can easily work into savoury or sweet recipes. When selecting beetroot, it is often best to choose the smaller bulbs, as they tend to have a concentrated flavour. Beetroot also does well in a variety of desserts, especially chocolate cakes, adding great moisture.
Cauliflower
Like its cousin broccoli, cauliflower is made up of a close network of small edible flower heads which grow from a thick central stalk. White cauliflower is the most common variety – the creamy round head should be even in colour and surrounded by tight green leaves.
Pears
Great for slicing into salads or for cooking, pears are another autumn fruit staple similar to apples in nutrition. When you’re out shopping for pears, you can buy them when they are pretty hard because they will soften up over the following few days. Add a dash of sweetness to salads by tossing in some pear slices or bring a touch of autumn flavour to the breakfast table by adding pears to your muffin or scone recipes. When ripe, their juicy nature also makes them a great addition to salads, cocktails, and sparkling water refreshers.
Cinnamon
As an ingredient in the Pumpkin Spice Latte, cinnamon is well associated with the build-up to Christmas. The spice has a distinct taste and is likely to bring autumnal warmth to your recipes that your family will recognise.
Cinnamon is an easy ingredient to find all year round but will give your recipes something special during the autumn months.
You could use cinnamon for desserts such as pancakes or flapjacks and in main meals with meat or sweet potatoes.
Pumpkin
Pumpkins should be gathered while they can because they are not around for long. Restaurants that properly and proudly take advantage of seasonal ingredients put dishes such as pumpkin pie or pumpkin soup on their menus during the autumn months.