Paper Palate

I am after warming, Autumnal flavours in my food - something to match the glorious ’sunshine through the trees’ view from my window. This months Delicious magazine doesn’t disappoint.

There is a tempting looking lamb dish (Slow Cooked Lamb, Red Wine and Root Vegetable) that might be just the thing for a lads’ post-pub gathering tomorrow. There is nothing like the deep colours and flavours that form during long cooking. Beans are another Autumn-type ingredient. Delicious offers several recipes: Sausages with Borlotti beans, Chickpea Fritters, Dahl Soup with Pumpkin and then moves on to dishes based on root veg. They have Celeriac and Potato Dauphinoise, Roots, Ham and Caramelised Onion Pie and Cumin-roasted winter roots with parsley and lemon butter.

Soups obviously come into their own at this time of year, especially if the cold snap they are predicting for the UK hits hard. How about Hearty Irish Soup (lamb, leeks, potatoes, swede) or Fennel Soup with Winter Greens and Bacon? Their cover picture is of Moroccan Spiced Soup with Jewelled Couscous. But isn’t Cauliflower Cheese Soup just Cauliflower Cheese with a runny sauce? You can’t have failed to notice that Jamie Oliver has a new book out (Amazon UK). Extracts from Cook With Jamie appear in this months issue; all are cakes. Being rather partial to Carrot Cake I might just give his a go, but there are also ‘My Nan’s Lemon Drizzle Cake’, ‘The Best Shortbread in the World’ and Coconut, Banana and Passion Fruit Pavlova. There just aren’t enough days in the week to try all these things!