Autumn Begins

September brings us the start of Autumn and while the weather is getting colder the food table is getting fuller, as seasonal harvest foods start arriving. So, what does the new month mean for the changing seasonal treats? Here is our short guide.
 
The new tastes of September can be seen in the Scots Gaelic word for the month ‘Sultain’ which comes from a word which means ‘pleasing, pleasant, fat’ nodding towards the good food that is to come with the year’s harvest.
 
The hardy Brown Turkey fig which grows very well in Britain are now the glut of the month and are wonderful served with Parma Ham and walnuts.

September is also the month for the annual release of Vacherin Mont d’Or cheese. It is made in Switzerland and France and is made from the milk from cows which have just spent the summer grazing in the pastures of Mont d’Or. By tradition the milk can only be produced between 15^th August and 15^th March and is only released to the market in September.
 Blackberries are still in season, but only just.   They are great with pork tenderloin as in this wonderful recipe where the pork tenderloin is marinated in a blackberry & rosemary marinade, grilled to perfection, and then drizzled with a thick blackberry & rosemary sauce for a little added flavour. 

Another great dish making use of the best of seasonal blackberries is Duck niçoise salad with a blackberry dressing a late summer version of the iconic niçoise salad, switching tuna for melt-in-the-mouth duck legs and adding a sweet and zingy quick-pickled blackberry dressing.

Later this month there is the much-forgotten Michaelmas Day, on the 29^th September, which used to be called Crack-Nut day when hazelnuts were eaten in. church with such a loud sound that no one could hear the service.

We are also just coming to the end of the best plum season and I really love this recipe which makes use of them, Spiced Chicken Thighs & Plums where chicken thighs are marinated in warming spices, demerara sugar and a fresh plum purée, before being roasted until sticky in this recipe from Honey & Co.