The autumn is towards the end of the year, and as things are starting to get cooler, we may be considering cuddling up in a jumper with a big, comforting bowl of autumnal food followed by autumn fruits.
While your classic comfort foods for that situation might be carbohydrate-based, there are also a lot of great fruits in season during autumn.
Plums
Plums are one of my absolute favourite fruits. Admittedly, I’d say that about all stoned fruits, but plums hold a special palace in my heart.
When you first buy them and they have that sharp, sour flavour before they get to be fully ripe, and when they’re just about to go bad and they’re rich, juicy, and sweet, they’re delicious full stop.
Plums are great in savoury dishes like salads and if you have not tried this quinoa salad yet you really should as it includes roast plums and is absolutely delicious.
While plums might not be great to eat in a crumble as they wouldn’t retain too much of their structural integrity during the baking and stewing process, they’d be ideal to top a cake with.
As they sit there and released their juices while they cooked, the tops of them would start to caramelize and offer a deliciously sweet topping to any cake.
Pumpkin
Of course, pumpkin makes an appearance on this list: it’s an autumn classic! They can be great for more than just carving at Halloween! It is sometimes regarded more like a vegetable but it depends on how you use it. I think in a dessert it is what I would call a fruit!
They are great for soup, risotto or even in a pumpkin pie. There’s little out there more delicious and comforting than a bowl of good pumpkin soup. If it’s made right it can be rich, creamy, and warming all in one.
The secret is to add in a healthy dose of smoked paprika. This will give your soup some heat, and allow it to warm you up on a frosty night while you sit in front of the fire. Simply cook some pumpkin with stock and smoked paprika then blend as required.
Rhubarb
Do you like rhubarb crumble? Make sure not to eat the leaves, as they’re poisonous, but the stalks themselves can be stewed down with sugar to make a thick, rich, delicious filling for crumble.
That’s a dessert begging to be drowned in custard. It is something that really reminds me of being younger when my mum had rhubarb growing and made delicious rhubarb crumbles!
There’s a whole host of fruit on offer year-round, but autumnal fruit holds a special place in my heart. There are even more on offer than what I’ve written down here, and if you head down to your local farmer’s market you’re sure to be able to pick out some great produce.
Ask the farmer there what they like to do with their own produce, and you’re sure to get an incredible recipe that you won’t be able to stop thinking about.
Perfect autumn recipes
Easy fruity roast plum, sweet potato and quinoa salad recipe
Slimming World butternut squash risotto
A ready-made late summer/autumn Slimming World meal plan
Are you trying to keep fit this autumn? Check out these tips.
I also have an autumn date ideas article if you are struggling to think of date ideas with your other half.
