Things I want to eat this autumn

It's harvest time, my friends! Autumn begins today, the 21st of September. Cue the hordes of people rolling in piles of russet-coloured leaves.

There's going to be so much good food to eat in the next couple of months that I hesitate to try and choose a favourite. But there are definitely a handful of foods that I just can't wait to eat, and that I've been spending the last few weeks thinking about.

Apples
Today I've been crunching on some Egremont Russet apples, thanks to them arriving a little early this year at Lathcoat Farm's orchards. They're not much to look at, with their dusty olive-coloured skins, but those skins belie the beautiful flavour and texture inside. Do try them.


How to eat them? Well, first, just eat them raw - they're one of the most wonderfully portable fruits, and I plan on having AT LEAST one a day until the New Year.

But cook them too! My friend Martha recommended I have baked crabapples with cinnamon, which sounds like a perfect dessert for a chilly night. Now, she had the luxury of a crabapple tree in her backyard growing up - and unfortunately I can't fit one of those on my balcony in Hackney. But I'll try a really tart variety in hopes that I can mimic the outcome.

Apples are also divine in cake - here's one I made earlier. I've decided I'm going to make lots of these sorts of cakes this autumn - that way I can control the ingredients, using wholemeal flour and unrefined sugar. It's cheaper and lasts longer too.

Squashes
Butternut squash, pumpkin, pattypan, onion - the varieties, like apples, are seemingly endless. There are several dishes I plan on repeating this autumn from past seasons, but I'm also looking to find some new ones.

Cue Nigel Slater and his new book Tender. He always seems to know just what I'm thinking, ol' Nigel. Well, thanks to Nige and the Observer, we've been treated to a few recipes ahead of time here, including a rather delectable sounding Pan-cooked pumpkin with duck fat and garlic. I look forward to trying that out, as well as his simple idea of a "soup-stew with haricot beans, late tomatoes, cheese and pumpkin".


Mussels
Ah, mussels. They're so cheap, yet so delightful! A trip down to Belgo's will remind you how revered mussels are to the Belgians, as they should be to us. I myself am headed to Borough Market this Saturday to pick up a bag or two - they're really cheap in September.


I fancy returning to the classics - moules marinere, where mussels marry so beautifully with celery, onions, white wine and garlic, as well as trying some new ideas too - mussel pasta with mushrooms and rosemary (which screams autumn to me), or a creamy mussel sauce to top a piece of beef (I can't remember where I've seen that, but I know I have somewhere...)


Okay, those are just a few ingredients that I'm going to be using in the next months - I'm also looking forward to experimenting more with game and foraging for mushrooms. What's on your list?