Seasonal food – October

With the autumnal months now on our doorsteps, it’s time unleash the cashmere and stock up the log sheds. Though more importantly, we can thankfully welcome back the hearty soups, comforting casseroles, stodgy roasts and fruity crumbles with custard – the ‘culinary hot water bottles’ that will to see us through the cold days that lie ahead. So, here are October's seasonal offerings, accompanied by a few of my recipe suggestions incorporating these ingredients that will give you a spoonful of inspiration in the coming weeks. Now the shooting season is all guns blazing, may I suggest you indulge in some ‘all things wild’ and get yourselves a brace of pheasant or partridge – a real seasonal treat at this time of year.  :

Fruit

·         Apple

·         Blackberries

·         Damsons

·         Fig

·         Pear

·         Plum

·         Sloe (pick after the first frost)

 

Vegetable

·         Beetroot

·         Butternut squash

·         Cabbage

·         Celeriac

·         Chestnuts

·         Chicory

·         Courgette

·         Leeks

·         Parsnips  

·         Pumpkin

·         Red cabbage

·         Rocket

·         Samphire (sea asparagus)

·         Swede

·         Swiss chard

·         Truffle

·         Turnips

·         Wild mushrooms

 

Meat

·         Grouse

·         Hare

·         Partridge

·         Pheasant

·         Rabbit

·         Venison

·         Wild Duck

 

Seafood

·         Mussels

·         Oyster

·         Scallop

·         Sea bass

·         Winkles

 

Recipe ideas:

                   Starters - to get your tastebuds aroused:

v  Fig, mint and Parma ham parcels

v  Wild mushroom and thyme soup

v  Roasted butternut squash and sage soup

v  Parsnip and apple soup

v  Beetroot and horseradish soup

v  Creamy wild mushrooms on toast (simple and delicious)

v  Parma ham, stilton, pear and walnut salad

v  Smoked venison, raspberry, gorgonzola, walnut and rocket salad

 

Main Course - the hearty filling:

 

v  Venison and wild mushroom stroganoff

v  Game pie

v  Roast pheasant with stuffed apples

v  Pheasant with apples, cider and chestnuts

v  Classic rabbit stew

v  Braised rabbit with a  mustard sauce – lapin a la moutarde

v  Pot roasted partridge with cabbages, smoked pancetta and chestnuts

v Pan-fried duck breast, with a blackberry, porcini mushroom and thyme sauce

v  Roasted seabass with chorizo, shallots and vine tomatoes

v  Classic Moules Mariniere  

v  Mussels in a bacon and cider sauce

v  Saffron glazed scallops with an apple and pistachio puree

v  Scallops pops – a stylish yet easy canapé

v  Scallops wrapped in prosciutto with a butternut squash puree

v  Wild mushroom, pancetta and smoked cheddar rissoto

 

Dessert - A sweet and happy ending:

 

v  A classic - Blackberry, apple and cinnamon crumble

v  Poached pear served with chocolate sauce and vanilla ice cream

v  Baked stuffed apples

v  Autumn cheesecake

v  Toffee apple tart

v  Homemade bramble jelly

v  Damson Jam

To receive any of the recipe suggestions above and many more, please use the comment box below.