Our top choices this month…

WELCOME TO September

It’s a month of new beginnings as schools re-open,

Oh, for an Indian summer.

It all started so well, didn’t it? Then we had weeks

SEPTEMBER moments…

WORDS: KAREN BARNES. PHOTOGRAPHS: MAJA SMEND, ALAMY

FROM OUR INBOX…

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FOR STARTERS

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

MICHAEL CAINES

The celebrated chef talks about the people who’ve inspired his cooking and shaped his life

WISH LIST

These pages are about us doing the hard work so you

What saves 5,000 food miles every time you eat it?

It’s not often you meet farmers prepared to take risks on growing a heritage crop that has a lot in common with a weed. But that’s what the trio behind Hodmedod’s did when they started producing quinoa, the cereal-like ingredient that’s a darling of healthy eaters worldwide. Susan Low travelled to Suffolk to find out how a brave idea became reality

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT…

In her new column, food writer Kay Plunkett-Hogge mulls over the issues that are bugging, entertaining and sustaining her this month

TEST REPORT

THE COURSE Cooking the Roux Way: Alfresco Dining, £298

When did natural food become so artificial?

The word natural holds consumers in its thrall, but the term isn’t as plain and simple as it seems. Julian Baggini gets to the bottom of some knotty terminology

Why delicious. reader events are so special

A few weeks ago editor Karen Barnes and chef Raymond Blanc hosted an exclusive all-day reader event at Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. Here, Karen describes a day to remember…

CHEERS!

Susy Atkins rounds up her best buys and discovers a Med trend

Are restrictive diets bad for children?

Are parents acting irresponsibly by imposing their own eating regimes on children? Are there actual dangers – or are they exaggerated? Sue Quinn investigates

How to eat healthily every day of the week

”We all know the importance of eating nourishing food

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

HOLD THE TAPAS Mallorca’s food revolution

The culinary scene on this beautiful Balearic island is in full bloom, with a new breed of chefs embracing local flavours and innovation like never before. Kathryn Tomasetti indulges in a food-lover’s tour of blowout proportions

WIN a foodie weekend in Cornwall

How would you like to spend a two-night break by the

WIN! A DINNER PARTY WITH MARK HIX

Join editor Karen Barnes and Mark Hix for an exclusive evening of food and wine in the Fisher & Paykel Social Kitchen

FREE! Nigella’s new book At My Table

• More than 100 brilliant recipes from the original

WIN! A stylish oven and mıcrowave

These state-of-the-art Hotpoint appliances look great, are intuitive to use and get the job done efficiently

The Pig at Combe: country chic

WHY IT’S GREAT The newest addition to the ‘rural chic’

COMING NEXT MONTH INÉ delicious

Let’s shout about British food!

FOOD LOVER’S CROSSWORD

See how much you really know about the world of food

Why aren’t doctors taught about nutrition?

If studying medicine included learning about the preventative benefits of good eating, says health-food writer Dale Pinnock, we could reduce illness, improve patient outcomes and – crucially – save the NHS money

Fruit pies

The smell of a sweet pie baking in the oven is a thing to inspire childlike delight, the bubbling filling encased in crumbly, buttery pastry. Make the most of the late summer fruit harvest with these three stonking recipes: grown-up plum and sauternes, a sophisticated pear and chocolate frangipane and a crowd-pleasing jam tart

AUTUMN SPICED ROAST PORK

A wonderfully fragrant marinade and warming harissa gravy turn this classic cut into something tantalising – perfect for weekend feasting with friends

CARROT CAKE

Classic recipes that have stood the test of time – that’s what this series is all about. We tweak and perfect the ingredients and method to get the best possible version. This month, the classic coffee shop favourite gets the superstar treatment

The stuff food memories are made of…

We’re thrilled to welcome Olia Hercules as our food writer in residence this month and next. Born in Ukraine and now living in London, Olia knows all about the connection between memory, place and taste – and the importance of being connected to your food roots. This menu recalls the flavours and techniques of brilliant cooks Olia met while researching the food of Georgia. Try the recipes and be transported

Would you let a robot cook your lunch?

Smart tech wants to take over in the kitchen. Chloe Scott meets a bot called Moley who’s a dab hand at shellfish soup – and not too proud to do the washing-up. Interpersonal skills, though, are still a tad lacking

BEETROOT

RECIPES AND FOOD STYLING JEN BEDLOE PHOTOGRAPHS GARETH

PRESERVE THE MEMORIES OF SUMMER

Transform the season’s abundant fruit and berries into pots of goodness, to be enjoyed long after the glorious days of summer have cooled into autumn and winter

THE world-beating VEGGIE BURGER

There’s still time to fire up the barbie before autumn arrives – and what better excuse than chef Bruno Loubet’s flavour-packed patty, which proves beyond doubt that vegetarian food, done well, is hard to beat

Sabrina Ghayour’s guide to feasting

Stuffy formal dinner parties not your scene? Then you’ll be a fan of Sabrina’s take on feasting for friends. These recipes from her latest book are full of her trademark eclectic flavours. Add music, colourful crockery, laughter, good friends (and maybe a glass of wine or two) and say yes to good times

“I was desperate to get my hands into mum’s mixing bowl”

When Davina Quinlivan’s father died suddenly a few years ago, the film writer and academic felt compelled to resurrect long forgotten foods from her Anglo-Burmese family, re-imagining them in her country cottage in Hampshire. These courgette fritters reconnect her to the faraway past

THE END-OF-SUMMER PUDDING

“Summer pudding isn’t something we have in France.

HOW TO SHAKE UP FAMILY MEALS

RECIPES CLAIRE THOMSON PHOTOGRAPHS MIKE LUSMORE FOOD

THE LEFTOVERS RECIPE

Any sausages work well here: try chicken or veggie.

THE 5:2 RECIPE

It’s zingy and filling, designed to wake up your taste buds and sustain your energy

THE BATCH-COOK RECIPE

Whip up a pot of ragù, serve half for dinner and freeze the rest – it’s then a cinch to make this tasty curry puff pie another day

SOUP OF THE MONTH

It’s one of the simplest recipes to make but it knocks the socks off shop-bought

SPRING ROLLS

Despite their name, these moreish bundles of aromatic veg encased in crisp pastry are brilliant all year round. Our lighter recipe keeps all the taste but lowers the fats and cals

TAKE A PACK OF… bacon LARDONS

Stash a pack away in your fridge, ready to be called into action to make midweek meals shine

THIS MONTH IN THE delicious. KITCHEN…

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

LAMB BIRYANI

This dish is traditionally made with mutton, but you