Ripe figs

Welcome to SEPTEMBER

There’s a certain poignancy about September, I always

September FIVE GOOD THINGS TO DO

Wreaths aren’t just for Christmas: they look beautiful

THRIFTY COOK

You can whip up these recipes on a weeknight for less than £2 per head, but we haven’t scrimped on flavour or quality of ingredients – all use higher-welfare meat and fish and fresh seasonal vegetables. It’s a win-win

THE 5:2 RECIPE

A nourishing Asian soup that’s just the tonic for a fast day, or to kick-start a healthy eating week

THE FRIDAY NIGHT SUPPER

Marinate these chicken skewers in warming spices the night before for a speedy treat served with an on-trend avocado dip

THE BATCH-COOK RECIPE

A pot of bolognese simmering away on the stove is a joy for the senses. Serve half straight from the pot, then freeze the rest and use it later to make our smart-enough-for-friends pasta bake

TAKE A PACK OF… HOUMOUS

Elevate it from a picnic dip to a top midweek ingredient with these four tempting new ideas

Should we all be eating seaweed?

It’s turning coffee blue, has been hailed as a weight-loss cure and is touted as a potential cancer treatment. So is seaweed – basically the stuff most us are at pains to avoid at the seaside – a nutritional powerhouse? Sue Quinn wades into the debate

STICKY PLUM CAKE

Your sweet treat with a cuppa just got more saintly

THE FABULOUS FIVE

There’s nothing like a bake to warm the cockles and please the hungry crowd gathered at your table. Make the most of the bountiful vegetables available at this time of year with these winning recipes. All but one can be made or assembled in advance, then quickly finished off in the oven, and two can be frozen ahead…We call that clever cooking at its best

FROM OUR INBOX…

Tell us what you think of delicious. (good and bad)

FOR STARTERS

NEWS, NIBBLES OF KNOWLEDGE AND GOOD THINGS TO DO RIGHT NOW

A SLICE OF MY LIFE KENNY TUTT

The 2018 MasterChef champion and bank manager on sleepless nights, cooking from scratch and the restorative power of soda bread

WISH LIST

“These pages are about us doing the hard work so you

The student kitchen SHOPPING GUIDE

September heralds the start of a new life at university for many. But what to take beyond plates and pans? Features assistant Phoebe Stone graduated three years ago so she knows exactly what’s useful for the first-time-away-from-home cook…

”IT’S A NO-BRAINER: GOING ORGANIC IS A BETTER WAY TO FARM IF YOU CAN”

From a tiny seed sown back in 1993, Riverford Organic Farmers has grown to be the country’s mightiest veg box scheme, championing flavourful, characterful veg varieties. Lucas Hollweg travelled to south Devon to meet the company’s founder and talked to a grower with a penchant for small green cucumbers with a big flavour

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT…

Kay Plunkett-Hogge considers food and togetherness, the zingy freshness of native oysters and the joys of Jamaican brown sauce

THE FOOD BLASPHEMERS

When does adding a bit of this and a bit of that to traditional dishes tumble over into a total lack of respect for a culture? And how fine is the line between propriety and food snobbery? Food writer Debora Robertson explores an often heated culinary debate

CHEERS!

Susy Atkins rounds up top buys and applauds a white grape variety

Delicious TEST REPORT

THE COURSE Better Barbecuing, £99 for half-day course

Why you need to add Georgia to your minibreak bucket list

Sandwiched between the ridges of the Caucasus mountains where Europe meets Asia, the resurgent Silk Road republic, once closed off by the Soviets, now warmly welcomes food-curious travellers. Tristan Rutherford enjoys flavour-packed cooking in the capital, Tbilisi, and travels to the nearby Kakheti region to sip its highly prized wines

South Sands Hotel: proper Devonshire seclusion

WHY IT’S GREAT What can be more relaxing than lying

I’ve had enough of these crazy f lavours

The food companies’ insatiable demand for novelty has hit ludicrous heights, says Jane Hutchison. The flavours may be new but they’re certainly not improved – and for this writer they leave a very bad taste in the mouth

Bounty cake… Like what you see?

Each month we’re creating an all-new recipe that’s

Chicken curry

Revamp your repertoire with our three takes on the national favourite. Choose from a comforting tikka masala, a fragrant Thai-style green curry packed with veg and a whole roast chicken with Korean spices

HOW MICHEL ROUX JR COOKS AT HOME

Michel Roux Jr, a TV regular who holds two Michelin stars at London’s famous Le Gavroche restaurant, is one of the most revered chefs in the country. His kitchen may set the standards by which other restaurants are judged, but that doesn’t mean all his dishes are complex and tricky to master – in fact, he loves cooking simpler dishes at home. This quick-to-put-together fish recipe is a case in point

BLACKBERRY & APPLE CRUMBLE

Nothing is more British than crumble, and with its fruity, biscuity aroma, crunchy topping and juicy filling, its place in our culinary hall of fame is undisputed. British cookery doyenne Debbie Major offers her definitive recipe, plus a nutty twist

A Sunday feast to share by Angela Hartnett

For vast swathes of the country, Sunday is get-together day. What better moment to treat friends and family by cooking Angela’s Italian Sunday lunch feast – and support the brilliant charity Action Against Hunger at the same time

THE FABULOUS END-OF-SUMMER CENTREPIECE

Our lighter take on roast beef, the joint nestled among juicy vegetables and cannellini beans, will help you hold onto proper sunshine vibes a little longer. A meal this gratifying really shouldn’t be so easy to make, but it is

The simple guide to PICKLING AND FERMENTING

It’s a tradition that goes back centuries, yet it’s become the hallmark of trendsetters and hipsters from San Francisco to Shoreditch. Some of the most beloved British foodstuffs, from chutney to piccalilli, rely on the transformative powers of pickling and fermenting, and if you haven’t yet fallen in love with kimchi, you may be about to meet a new flame

Gill Meller A COOK’S YEAR

Lobster is a luxury ingredient but use it wisely, eking it out, and it doesn’t have to be quite such a pricey treat. River Cottage expert and resident columnist Gill Meller has made an art of knowing how to show off seasonal food at its best, and this magical meal for four is no exception

THE NEW FOOD REVOLUTION

Zoe Adjonyoh’s childhood was an unusual blend of cultural influences, all of which have had a profound effect on her cooking. The dishes here – all favourites inspired by her Ghanaian father and lovingly tweaked and perfected over the years – will take your palate on a culinary magic carpet ride

“This tart tastes uncannily like my granny’s original”

Her grandma’s cinnamon-scented apple tart was a fixture of childhood birthdays for Alessandra Peters, but when she was diagnosed with coeliac disease, the young food blogger feared the fun was over. Her ‘free-from’ version keeps a family tradition alive

If you make one pudding this month…

…Make it this! Billowy clouds of lush, marshmallowy meringue layered with salty-sweet peanut mousse, topped with a crunchy praline topping – this gorgeous pudding will bring smiles to the faces of all who behold it. Go on – you know you want to

WIN! a stay in a luxury treehouse

Sounds different? It certainly is – in a spectacular, back-to-nature way, with wonderful food, too

COOK THE COVER

…And win Judge stainless steel cutlery and knife block

FREE! Yotam Ottolenghi’s Simple

Pea, za’atar and feta fritters • Pasta with pecorino

Join delicious. for a birthday feast of fine food, wine & film

Enjoy an exclusive night at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, complete with a special screening of The Hundred-Foot Journey and a carefully crafted four-course menu to match

LOOSE ENDS

Don’t let this month’s special ingredients linger in your kitchen. Instead make the most of them with these smart and easy ideas

COMING NEXT MONTH IN…Delicious.

• Ottolenghi puts a simplified (but still wonderful)

FOOD LOVER’S CROSSWORD

See how much you really know about the world of food

RECIPE INDEX

• Baked beetroot with herby hazelnut crumb & goat’s

THIS MONTH IN THE delicious. KITCHEN…

While the delicious. team are testing recipes, they’re

BOURRIDE by Alex Jackson

PHOTOGRAPHS STUART WEST FOOD STYLING SOPHIE AUSTEN-SMITH

MY BIG FAT GREEK PIE

There are times when it’s a joy to lavish a bit of extra love and care on a recipe. Here’s our take on spanakopita – the classic spinach and feta filo pastry pie – with the welcome addition of tender roast lamb, which mingles perfectly with the lightly spiced filling to provide a richly satisfying treat