As autumn gets well underway and a noticeable chill appears in the air, the natural inclination is to shift to heartier meals to sustain you. Luckily, there are plenty of satisfying seasonal ingredients available that will taste their best at this time of year. Even better, choosing food that is in season allows you to be more environmentally aware.
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Game season
Various types of game are in season in October and these can form the base of many tasty meals. Pheasant can be roasted and accompanied by a range of root vegetables, or turned into a terrine. Grouse and partridge may also be at their best at this time of year.
Vegetables
With Halloween fast approaching, there is no doubt pumpkins are one vegetable that experiences a surge in popularity at this time of year. Pumpkin can be used in sweet or savoury dishes, from a soup starter to the American favourite of pumpkin pie. Its cousin, butternut squash, is also in season and can make a tasty accompaniment to a variety of dishes when roasted.
Celeriac might not look like it, but it is closely related to celery and has a similar taste. Try roasting or mashing it. Other vegetables in season at this time of year include radicchio and its cousin chicory, beetroot, Swiss chard, cabbage, kale, swede, turnip and a wide range of different wild mushrooms.
Fruit
If you want something to accompany the seasonal meals you provide in your restuarant or bar, post mix suppliers such as https://empireuk.com/ can supply a range of draught soft drinks. You may also want to try fruit juices based on those fruits that are in season.
Summer berries may have faded, but others fruits are just coming into their prime. Apples can be eaten fresh from the tree, used as an accompaniment to pork or added to a fruit crumble. Quince also flourishes from October to December, and plums are another versatile fruit that can be used in anything from a jam to a dessert.
Elderberries are not a good fruit to eat undercooked, let alone raw, but they can be added to muffins and puddings. This kind of cooking can reduce their flavour, but their colour can add a bright spot to pickles and chutneys. Other berries that are available at this time of year include blackberries and cranberries.
