autumn arrives

Mindsets change on the twenty-first of September. No longer are the long summer days sought; instead, delight comes from crisp afternoons and maroon and marigold leaves delicately strewn on the pavement.

For food-lovers, a decided shift occurs in the psyche. The season for berries, cherries and peas has passed. In with the apples, in with the squash. As September transitions into October (and I can’t wait to make my pumpkin soup), have a look at some of the best fruits and vegetables of the new season:

Last of the blackberries

I noticed sadly on Saturday that there weren’t any blackberries on the shelf. It could be there’s a late-summer run on this regal purple fruit, or, as the season changes, there are few left for the shops.

In any case, if I can get my hands on any more blackberries, I’m aching to try an idea that sprung into my head last week: nectarine and blackberry crumble.

Apple harvest

According to the BBC, we should be able to find Worcester Pearmains, Bramleys, Discoveries, Early Windsors and Cox’s Orange Pippins before long. I found a few baby Cox’s in my local last weekend, and they weren’t half bad either.

Mushroom nights

There’s nothing lovelier than a roasted mushroom soup, especially as the wild varieties will be available soon. But dried mushrooms work great too and add so much flavour. A few years back I tried a Gary Rhodes’ recipe – a creamy pork and mushroom stew – from Keeping it Simple (a cookbook I really like). It’s a great warming fall recipe for chilly nights.

Marrow merriment

Of course, the obese (and less flavourful) older sibling to the courgette makes an appearance. Like pumpkin, marrow lose flavour and hold more water as they grow. I like marrow best stuffed with other, more vibrant flavours – perhaps a sun-dried tomato stuffing?

Pumpkin time

Truly the star of the autumn season, pumpkin is extremely versatile. Enjoy its flesh and its seeds in a spicy pumpkin curry or pumpkin soup and roasted pumpkin seeds – and the shell can be used as a bowl or a jack o’lantern for kids.

in season: mussels

I awoke Saturday morning with a clear plan. The goal: mussels. Pete and I walked from London Fields to London Bridge, with our minds dreaming of Borough Market. The smells wafted on to the bridge as we weaved our way down into the market.

If we had the means, I would visit this market every Saturday morning. But dropping in for just one ingredient feels somehow more special. We beelined for the fish counter. Bags of mussels, fresh from the Scotland coast, were piled high on the right of the stand, nestled in ice.

Feeling hungry already, I inquired just how much I'd need for two people that night. Two kilos, figured the man behind the counter. Not three? I asked. Now you're just being greedy, he laughed.

I agreed, picking up two kg of mussels for a mere £8.80.

That night, we scrubbed and polished the mussels to a fine shine, eagerly awaiting our prize. A small wine's glass worth of Viognier, an entire bulb of pressed garlic and a finely chopped bunch of parsley went into the pot with the mussels. Steamed in a large pot, covered, for 10 minutes, the mussels relented, exposing the lovely pearls within.

I saved the cooking liquid and poured about half of it into a saute pan already full of spinach leaves and olive oil, allowing the mixture to bubble for a few minutes. My patience got the best of me and I decanted the liquor over the mussels.

Served with a stick of French bread and the remainder of the Viognier, I can't recall having eaten a better meal in recent memory. The mussels, huge and fleshy, were completely infused by the garlic and white wine.

I won't let another September go by without a trip to Borough Market for these mussels. You simply can't go wrong - shellfish is so healthy (about 90 calories per dozen mussels), and at seasonal prices, you can easily afford to feed two for less than £15. Considering that our overflowing bowls of mussels would have set us back at least £15 each, plus wine, at any decent restaurant, I'd say you can't get a better deal than that.