[READ] Gourmet Today October edition online

Sunny days on the beach are now a thing of the past. Love it or hate it we can now pack away our bikinis and bring out the aprons. For me there is no better time for cooking than in autumn, when, after a summer of spending as little time in the kitchen as possible, we return in full force. And it feels like spending time with an old friend you haven’t seen in a long time.

Heartier meals feel like long lost family members and there is no better way to prepare them than with family. Our homecooks are all about getting that family time in, arguing over how much more time that lamb needs in the oven, or getting someone else to do the artistic plating, but whatever arguments take place in the kitchen, these are soon forgotten as they crack open a bottle of red (we’ve missed you too) and dig in to the fruits of their labour.  

Pippa Mattei avoided the summer heat this year with a trip to Ireland and, as always, returned ready to recreate some of the best meals she encountered on her trip. Guinness-battered fish and hand-cut chips, seafood chowder and a proper Irish fry up complete with potato farls and Irish soda bread are all on her menu this autumn.