Happy October!

And welcome to Blogtober Day 16! Today we have a guest post from one of my favourite people! I gave the brief of autumnal and cosy and this hits the mark every time! Thank you to the wonderful Daisy for this guest post!!

Now the nights are drawing in, we have switched up our regular meals to more Autumnal – think cosy, comforting and cottagecore. 

First up and this is a staple, it’s Lentil Soup. This is a family recipe that has been handed down, I think it may have originated from a Good Housekeeping cookbook many decades ago. That said, we all put our own spin on it and I encourage you all to do the same.  

Recipes for me are only ever a rough guideline. I almost always read a recipe and then do my own version.  

Lentil Soup – what you need:  

One diced onion 

Two large potatoes, cubed 

Three large carrots, sliced 

Roughly 120g red lentils 

Two rashers of bacon, chopped (optional) 

1.5 litres of stock  

Salt and pepper to taste 

What to do:  

Soften the onion with the bacon, in a little bit of butter or olive oil in a large pan on a low heat. Rinse the lentils in cold water, then add to the pan with the potatoes and carrots. Stir well. Pour in the stock and seasoning and bring to the boil, stirring to prevent the lentils from sticking. Simmer for approximately one hour or until the veg and lentils are all soft.  

Remove from the heat and blend till smooth. Or leave chunky. You do you.  

Next, another firm favourite is Spicy Rice. Similar to one you get in that restaurant that does very little other than spendy chicken and chips… you know the one… 

Spicy Rice – what you need:  

400g washed Basmati rice 

1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped 

1 yellow pepper, deseeded and chopped 

Handful of button mushrooms, halved 

Handful of frozen peas 

1/2 teaspoon cumin 

1 teaspoon turmeric 

1 teaspoon paprika 

1/4 teaspoon chilli powder 

750ml stock 

Cooked chicken, cut into chunks (optional)  

What to do:  

Sauté the onions with all the spices for around five minutes on a low heat. Add the peppers and mushrooms and sauté gently for another five minutes. Add the rice, peas and stock. Cover and simmer on a low heat until all the liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. If you are using chicken, add it in to warm through near the end.

To finish up, does anything say Autumn more than Apple Crumble? It’s the perfect dessert, warming and delicious.  

Apple Crumble – what you need:  

4 medium apples, peeled, cored and sliced 

If you have foraged some blackberries, wash them and add them too 

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

Two tablespoons golden caster sugar 

Splash of orange juice 

For the crumble topping: 

175g plain flour  

110g chilled butter, cut into small cubes 

110g golden caster sugar 

What to do:  

Heat the oven to 190C/170 fan/gas 5 

Mix the sugar and cinnamon. Pour the orange juice over the apple slices, then tip them into the sugary cinnamon mix and shake the dish around to coat every slice. Put the apples into a greased ovenproof dish, making sure they are evenly spread out. They should cover the base of the dish. 

Now to make the crumble topping. In a bowl, mix the flour and sugar. Add the cubes of butter and rub with your fingertips, until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Scoop this out and cover the apple mixture, pressing lightly with a fork.  

Get creative – if you like a crunchier topping, try adding some crushed ginger nuts or a handful of smashed up Crunchy Nut Cornflakes. You could also stay traditional and throw a small handful of rolled outs on, or just sprinkle some demerara sugar on top.  

Place the dish on a baking tray and cook in the preheated oven for around 35 minutes. The crumble should be golden and if you push a sharp knife or skewer in, the apples should be soft. 

Serve with custard or cream or ice cream. Or all three. We don’t judge.

What are your favourite go to Autumn makes and bakes?  

I hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did!

Love always,

Gee xoxo