BE A BET TER COOK

WELCOME TO October

As the leaves begin to fall and the weather turns cool

OCTOBER moments…

It’s a glorious time to visit the heart of England

THE delicious. PROMISE

RECIPES THAT WORK Every recipe is rigorously tested

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

HUGH FEARNLEY-WHITTINGSTALL

How did the back-to-basics cook and food writer develop his beliefs? Cooking at home and an unlikely degree, he says

WISH LIST

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

TEST REPORT

THE COURSE Afternoon Tea, £250 for a full-day course

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT…

Food writer and woman of the world Kay Plunkett-Hogge has a lot on her plate (but not on her slate) this month

Why fine dining is fine by me

It’s the time of year when chefs fret over the annual dispersal (and denial) of Michelin stars. But while it’s easy to dismiss fine dining as irrelevant and undemocratic, Julian Baggini has another view

Delicious. PRODUCE AWARDS 2017

WORDS AMANDA NICOLAS AND STELLA DALZELL ILLUSTRATIONS

“ If you were a feminist, you weren’t supposed to want to be in the kitchen ”

“ If you were a feminist, you weren’t supposed to want

CHEERS!

Susy Atkins picks her best buys and uncorks top Portuguese

Is it unhealthy to eat fortified food?

Scrambled eggs on toast: meal or medication? In a way, this simple plate of food is both. Many foods, including eggs and bread, have added vitamins and minerals. But is it necessary, and can eating more nutrients than we need harm our health? Sue Quinn investigates

POLAND’S WOW FACTOR

Do you associate Poland with dumplings and cabbage? You’ll still find Communist-era canteens and traditional home cooking in Krakow, but the city’s medieval heart is pumping out excellent cuisine, with thriving markets, street eats, buzzing restaurants – and a lot more besides. Roving food lover Kathryn Tomasetti seeks out the best

COMING NEXT MONTH IN DELICIOUS.

Get organised for ChristmasÉ

GREATE SCAPES

The Ingham Swan: an inn near the sea

Step away from the smartphone!

As unicorn cakes and rainbow croissants flood our social media feeds, food writer Katy Salter asks if our obsession with ‘like’-generating novelty foods is warping our idea of what’s actually good to eat

CHEESE

THE COLLECTOR’S EDITION

CHEESE KNOW-HOW

It’s one of the most umami-ish wonders of the food world. Here’s how to get the best out of it

ALWAYS A WINNER Jacket potatoes

They’re comforting, crave-worthy and just a little bit retro – which is never a bad thing. Here are three new ideas, including fish pie jackets (gust of air in rush to turn on oven…)

PUMPKINS

“Pumpkins and squash, in all their glorious nobblycurved

COOKING to come home to

“October holds a special place in my heart – and in

The recipe hall of fame CHEESE SCONES

Welcome back to food writer Debbie Major, who’s turning her expert hand to our classic recipe series. She’s been tweaking and perfecting things to find the best possible version, then letting her imagination run riot to create something a bit different

Nigella’s AUTUMNAL SUPPER

Some of the best recipes are the easiest, and that goes for this dish from the queen of simplicity, Nigella Lawson. Say hello to your new favourite thing to do with chicken

Curry in a hurry by Rohit Ghai

“ I love the simplicity and taste of this dish. It’s

The feeding of the 1,000

This is a menu with a difference: the recipes, all from much-loved chefs, have been created for an event called 1,000 Mouths. Held this month at Nancarrow Farm in Cornwall, it aims to support a very worthwhile cause: the charity Action Against Hunger

Olia’s allotment tales

It took a decade to get her green fingers on a London allotment, but it was worth the wait for an (overgrown) patch of green space and the chance to grow her own vegetables, herbs and fruit. Now, after a year of toil and learning, failures and successes, Olia Hercules is using her plot to nourish and sustain, and to grow family memories as well as food

“Food can bring back loved ones we’ve lost”

Roy Brett learned his trade with Mark Hix and Rick Stein and now has his own celebrated seafood restaurant, Ondine, in his hometown of Edinburgh. Despite his reputation for cooking fish in a light, modern way, the dish that inspired Roy to become a chef was his granny’s old-school rib-sticker of a rice pudding

Ottolenghi magic

RECIPES YOTAM OTTOLENGHI AND HELEN GOH PHOTOGRAPHS

Prue Leith’s favourite autumn bake

You can’t go wrong with an apple tart – and this one, says veteran cooking guru and Bake Off judge Prue Leith, is a recipe that “never, ever fails”. So whether you’re a pro baker or a tart-making novice, give it a try and enjoy a GBBO moment of your own

EAT WELL FOR LIFE

NO FADS, NO UNREALISTIC HEALTH CLAIMS… JUST 20 INSPIRING PAGES OF HONEST, NUTRITIOUS, GOOD -FOR-YOU RECIPES, INFO AND IDEAS

FREE! Ottolenghi’s new book Sweet

INCLUDES MORE THAN 110 INNOVATIVE RECIPES • Blackberry

WIN! a cookery class and luxury stay for two

Gourmet food, exceptional teaching and elegant accommodation – Season cookery school has it all

NEW delicious.range at Lakeland

Wonderful food needs beautiful tableware and linens

THE NEW CLASSICS

Introducing your updated collection of recipes to make weeknight eating a whole lot better, each inspired by the types of go-to dishes you tell us you love to cook

THE 5:2 RECIPE

Lime and chilli give these oriental lettuce cups the full quota of zing

SOUP OF THE MONTH

This satisfying bowlful is laced with the warming heat of chorizo to chase away autumn chills – and, best of all, it freezes brilliantly for easy weeknight meals

THE LIGHTER FRITTER

This version is big on flavour and crunch factor but easier on the fats and cals

THE FRIDAY NIGHT SUPPER

This weeknight version of a classic beats a takeaway (it’s healthier too…)

TAKE A TIN OF…Tuna

An often overlooked staple, tuna opens up a variety of midweek meals

Hugh’s meat-free MANIFESTO

Make a hero of veg and your ingredients tool box becomes far more versatile, says Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall – and he has the recipes to prove it

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

THE FIRST BREAD OF THE HARVEST

“Fougasse is a flatbread and belongs to the same family