Tuesday 12 October 2010

Hello Autumn


The summer has died and now I have to remember to pick my coat up when I leave the house in the mornings. I wake up and check the weather forecast to see if rain is scheduled for the day – this way I can decide if I need to wear boots or shoes – essential to planning my outfit.

But there is something so cosy about the Autumn and I am glad it has arrived. Our summer has been a mix of hot and cold, rain and sunshine and at least now I can be happy knowing that I am to expect the rain, instead of being out in it wearing a dress and sandals because two hours earlier I had been baking in the heat.

The thing I love the most about Autumn, aside from the clothes I wear, is the food. As a woman trying to stay slim, it can be difficult living with a fella who likes his carbs and would insist on eating curry each and every day – regardless of the temperature outside. In summer, this can be increasingly difficult as the last thing I wish to eat is a hot, carbohydrate filled meal. But in Autumn and Winter, it is so much easier.

Autumn and Winter are cheap. Gone are the salads and vegetables that must be eaten within 3 days before they spoil, the fruits that cost an arm and a leg and are best eaten fresh. Replacing them are soups and stews, batches of cooking that can then be frozen, filled with all the veg you need to keep you going strong. Frozen and tinned fruit still tastes good when cooked in puddings and crumbles. Spending far too much money on drinks in beer gardens is pushed aside for staying at home, curled up watching TV and spending two thirds less on wine from the supermarket.

I’ve been reading my new Nigella Kitchen book and she has an entire chapter dedicated to store cupboard (and freezer) food so I plan to spend some time giving them a try and checking to see how budget friendly they really are (I imagine they are – she has great recipes for leftover meat that can be thrown in the freezer).

I think it is also the time to take up making chutneys, mincemeat, and sloe gin to enjoy both as the days turn into winter, and to give as Christmas presents to unexpected guests who arrive over the festive period. I have a lot of ideas buzzing around my head of how I'm going to make this a decadent but cheap winter and I hope I can pass some inspiration on to you.

2 comments:

  1. Ooooh...chutney! My mother used to make chutney with loads of Italian Prunes, and vinegar, and raisins...Mmm.

    I hope you'll share your recipes!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh this makes me want to check out that cookbook. It sounds great!

    ReplyDelete

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