 It’s that time of year when London’s seasonally changing menus look particularly inviting. For restaurateurs oozing with inspiration, October and November are months that yield rich pickings and huge diversity of both fresh and imported produce.
And, I’m glad to report that competition is keen among city chefs to source quality, locally produced seasonal ingredients and to come up with new, exciting dishes that will draw wavering customers through their doors. “Autumn” enthuses Gordon Ramsey, “is the real chef’s season” when “there’s always a buzz in the kitchens as we change the menus”.
Seasonal foods to tempt you!
Meat
For meat lovers, autumn lamb is a must. Available until the end of October, it generally has better flavour than spring lamb, due to the maturity of the meat. Served with seasonal vegetables or in recipes using orchard fruits or wild berries, autumn lamb is especially succulent, at this time of year.
Game and poultry
Partridge, guinea fowl, teal and locally farmed goose are excellent seasonal options. Goose, in particular, is a seasonal speciality. Although the actual season for goose starts at the end of September, it is not until late November and into December that goose meat is at its most mature and flavoursome.
Shellfish
Shellfish is at its best during cold weather. Prawns, mussels, oysters - all make incredibly tasty seasonal dishes.
Vegetables, leaves, shoots and roots
Leafy vegetables, cabbage, kale, spinach, broccoli, leeks; root vegetables, carrots, swedes, parsnips, potatoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, squash, marrows, courgettes, beetroot, especially wild mushrooms are all big on flavour during October and November. Roasted, in soups, warm salads, meat or vegetarian dishes, seasonal vegetables are both delicious and nutritious. Then, there’s watercress, with local growers making daily deliveries to London restaurants; top chefs just can’t get enough of the stuff. It’s also the start of the celeriac season. The celeriac root can be used as a vegetable, grated raw in winter salads or made into wholesome, thick, creamy soup.
Fruits
Apples, pears, plums, quince, satsumas, clementines, pomegranates, mangoes; baked apples, poached pears, stuffed figs or plum compote, autumn fruits make delightfully satisfying puddings. For a touch of the exotic, try plump, fleshy figs, poached in syrup.
Nuts, berries and other seasonal goodies
Almonds, brazil nuts, hazelnuts, and of course, chestnuts peak as the weather grows colder.
Chestnuts, especially, are associated with cold weather and with roasting chestnuts over an open fire. But where chestnuts really score is as an ingredient in many sweet and savoury seasonal dishes, especially when roasted and served with Brussels sprouts or as a purée added to traditional stuffing to accompany turkey or goose. And, as a dessert, you cannot beat marrons glacés.
Cranberries, whether in sauces as an accompaniment for meat dishes, in sweet or savoury tarts and pies or in fresh fruit salads, these juicy berries are very versatile across a whole range of seasonal dishes.
Wild berries, too, such as elderberries and blackberries also make great autumn puddings and sorbets.
Finally, keep an eye out for seasonal recipes containing wild mushrooms, white truffles or even seaweed – seasonal ingredients that are oh so tempting, at the moment.
So, go on, book a table before it’s too late, at your at your favourite London restaurant and check out the specials’ board for recipes using fresh, seasonal autumn produce. These dishes are a pretty safe bet; the chances are that fellow diners will wish that they had made a similar choice!
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