Welcome to October

Autumn leaves, fresher air, vivid reds, oranges and yellows everywhere

A month of great cooking

It’s a highlight when I get to meet delicious. readers.

FIVE GOOD THINGS TO DO IN… October

…pumpkin time! Gather them in your porch or garden, carve

THE GREAT CHILLI COOK-OFF

Since it was frst cooked back in the early 19th

Autumn: A TIME OF BOUNTY

"October is my favourite month. I love the way the autumn leaves

A feast with the Contini family

Slow-cooked beef shin in ale Creamy mashed potato with nutmeg

HUGH’S CROWD-PLEASER

“This is one of the most gratifying comfort foods. Add

The forgotten fruit

"Golden yellow, shaped like huge lumpy pears and covered in

“IF I’M ILL OR FEELING DOWN, MUM’S CHICKEN IS ALL I WANT”

"My mother brought up my younger brother and me

RECIPES FOR CHANGE

Growing up in India, I was surrounded by people who

THE RECIPES IN-THE-KNOW COOKS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR

Every once in a while, a chef comes along who

The art of the healthy breakfast

“The energy-giving fruit and hydrating coconut water in this juice

HEALTHY MAKEOVER: Cheesecake

HOW WE DID IT A good cheesecake should have a satisfying

The Share The Love crumble-pudding

"Everyone I know is a sucker for crumble

The delicious. biscuit collection

Biscuits are Britain’s greatest gift to the world

THE VEGGIE ONE

"This recipe is for everyone haunted by the memory of

IT’S NEVER BEEN EASIER TO EAT LESS MEAT

“The success of this salad is all about balance –

One-pot meals

"Autumn tends to be busy. Shorter days and less time call

Squash

Squash is available in a beautiful range of colours, shapes

Light, fresh and fabulous

1. Finely chop the onion and roughly chop the carrot. Heat the

Make weekday cooking easier with our ingredients hotlist

1. Crush the garlic cloves, roughly chop the parsley and finely

For everyone to enjoy

1. Finely slice the garlic and shallots, then halve, deseed and

From our inbox...

This month’s star prize is 12 bottles of McGuigan Handmade

TIME FOR CHANGE

You care about the quality and provenance of the food

DID YOU KNOW?

The tradition of carving Halloween lanterns comes from an Irish

IN THIS MONTH…

1743 The inaugural Finnish herring fair took place. The celebration

WHICH UK CITY EATS THE MOST PIZZA?

That’s the percentage of people in Oxford who eat pizza

EAT YOUR BOOKS!

If you have piles of magazines and a cookbook shelf

Toasted cheese sandwiches

Trashy food made good seems to have become the meat

HOW I FELL IN LOVE WITH FOOD

ANNA HANSEN, chef at The Modern Pantry café and restaurant

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY LE CREUSET!

The cookware brand is celebrating 90 years since its first

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

Anna Del Conte, Nigella, Tom Kerridge and Richard Bertinet are

Mark Sargeant’s kitchen pinboard

I have a fascinating old book called Blue Trout and

Wish List...

This page is about us doing the hard work so

MEET OUR WINNER…

Two of the features in the magazine this month, on

Cheers!

• Les Dauphins Côtes du Rhône Réserve 2014, France (£7.75,

Loose ends

Dust pineapple slices in icing sugar, grind over black pepper,

A weekend in Barcelona

Sexy, sunny and with a ringside view of the Med, Barcelona has

GREAT ESCAPES

WHY IT’S GREAT While tourists swarm over the Jurassic coast

MEET THE CHOCOLATE WIZARD

Mike Longman, founder of Chocolarder near Penryn, Cornwall, has the

Restaurants are for eating, not playing

A few years ago my wife and I went for

Testing 1,2,3…

THE COURSE: WSET Level 1 Award in Wines, £150 (one

Cook school

Cookbook author, chef, writer – and our preserves and freezing

A CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH UNIVERSAL APPEAL

“This is such a moist, moreish chocolate cake. The cola

Beef wellington

"When it comes to luxurious mains, beef welly is an

BAO BUNS FILLED WITH SLOW-BRAISED BEEF

Erchen co-founded Bao in London’s Soho with her husband and