Neil Forbes
Idon’t understand when people say they don’t like autumn. The colour of the leaves changing from green to auburn to brown and finally gold, stuns me every year. The smell of log fires, snuggling under a blanket with a cup of hot chocolate, toasting marshmallows or dooking for apples are wonderful things to do this season.
There are still a few jobs to do in the garden before winter, and while the sun still has some warmth to it, I plan to forage for berries from the hedgerows, look for mushrooms, and pick the final fruit from the trees.
A childhood memory for me is picking dandelions, brambles, crab apples and anything else my frugal parents could find for free. It was great fun, with a lot of the bounty used to make wine that bubbled away in demijohns under the stairs. I remember fetching my coat from the hook on the back of the cupboard door and thinking it looked like a science lab.
This week I’m enjoying the slight crispness in the air, going out walking and foraging and coming home to cook a pot of rich stew or something gamey. Have a super week kicking up the fallen leaves and reminiscing about your childhood. n
Pumpkin soup with cinnamon
Seeing the Crown Prince variety of pumpkin is a real sign that the season has changed. I buy mine from Phantassie Organic Produce in East Linton in East Lothian. I adore this variety as the flavour is superb alongside the kick of cinnamon. Make sure you caramelise the onions to give a great depth to the base of this soup.
Serves four 1 2
Heat the oven to 200C/gas Mark 6. Roast the pumpkin in the oven for 20 to 30 minutes until soft.
Heat a large pot on the hob and add the oil and the onion. Season and fry until the onions are softened and coloured – about 7 to 10 minutes – stirring all the time.
Once roasted, add the pumpkin to the pot along with the garlic, stock and a little more seasoning. Add the thyme and bay leaf and cook on a medium heat until the soup comes to the boil, then simmer for 45 to 50 minutes until the pumpkin skin and onions are soft. Stir in the cinnamon then blitz in a liquidiser, or with a hand-blender, until smooth. Pass the soup through a sieve if you want a very smooth texture.
Check the seasoning and spoon the soup into warmed bowls and top with a dollop of crème fraîche and a dusting of cinnamon.
3
4
5 Roast partridge, confit leg, watercress, crab apple jelly
Partridge is a great bird to cook. I like to remove the legs before roasting the crowns so the legs can be cooked longer either by roasting or confiting in duck fat. The splash of Madeira in the pan to glaze the breasts and of course a bit of butter for extra