Summer gave a sigh and said farewell. Autumn has arrived with cooler air and a weaker sun in a clear blue sky. The markets are full of colourful vegetables, mushrooms and you just know that it is time to rug up. Not being a fan of winter, it is at least mild where we live and soups beckon, pear and parsnip, butternut pumpkin and cinnamon, all with a swirl of creme fraîche. Some friends love this time of year but for me it has a sense of melancholy, so I approach it with the same thoughts as Nathaniel Hawthorne, “I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.”
