As autumn arrives and temperatures begin to drop, many of us retreat indoors and spend more time cooking in the kitchen.

The cooler months bring an abundance of hearty, comforting ingredients, making autumn the ideal season to experiment with warming dishes and richer flavours.

“Autumn can be one of most joyful time to cook,” says Jesse Kempner, head of food at Mindful Chef.

“In the summer months food tends to be quick, fresh and alfresco, whereas in autumn, we are more likely to spend more intentional time in the kitchen creating joyful food. I think the hearty dishes we have during the autumnal months forces everyone to slow down a bit and enjoy the flavours that have been created.”

The chef recommends embracing slow cooking to make the most of autumn’s rich and indulgent flavours.

“Cooking low and slow in a slow cooker or in a casserole pot in your oven means that all of the flavour is kept in one dish and all the ingredients become softer and tender,” says Kempner.

With that in mind, here are six seasonal ingredients to add to your shopping trolley this autumn, along with inspiration for how to cook them…

Blackberries

September is a great time for blackberry foraging, and Kempner recommends adding them to savoury dishes to create a surprising, but delicious, contrast.

“You could pair roast duck with a blackberry compote,” suggests Kempner. “The blackberry compote adds a bit of sharpness to help cut through fatty cuts, and also injects a bit of colour and brightness into your plate as well.”

Pheasant

Autumn is the best time of year to enjoy the great taste and nutrition that traditional game meat has to offer.

“Pheasant is quite a nice way to step into game if you’re new to it,” recommends Kempner. “It’s accessible, but still quite exciting.”

You can cook pheasant in similar ways to chicken, but Kempner highlights the importance of keeping it moist and juicy.

“Pheasant meat tends to dry out faster, but there are lots of different methods you can try to keep it moist,” says Kempner.

“For example, you can slow cook it, wrap it in bacon or cook it with butter and creamy sauces. Pheasant also pairs well with anything you’d ordinarily have with a roast chicken.”

Pumpkins

Hardy root vegetables such as pumpkins are a staple in autumn, and are surprisingly versatile to cook with.

“You can cut a pumpkin into cubes or into big wedges if you want to make it more of the star of the show, which you can then just roast with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper,” recommends Kempner.

You can toss roasted pumpkin into a salad, make a curry with it, or even blitz it into a puree.

“Some of the autumn specialities of pumpkin have a meatier, buttery texture to them which carries curry flavour really well,” says Kempner.

“I’d recommend leaving the skin on to add extra flavour – and don’t forget about the seeds! You can lay the seeds out onto a tray and roast them with a bit of salt, pepper and oil, and they will turn into lovely crispy snacks, or you could add them to a meal as a nice garnish.”

Apples

“If you are hosting a dinner party, apples are something that aren’t going to break the bank, but also scream seasonality,” says Kempner.

There are abundance of different varieties of British apples to choose from.

“Some are more sour and some are much sweeter, and they could carry you from starter to main into dessert. You could do a meal with only apples and get three very different results for each course,” says Kempner.

“For example, you could slow cook apples with a pork joint to make a delicious sauce.”

Marrows

Although pumpkins get all the admiration and praise in autumn, Kempner encourages gardeners to utilise the abundance of marrows this time of year.

“You can get a bit of adventurous with marrows, and the two dishes I usually turn to is slow-cooked marrow pasta sauce or I will just add them into a curry,” says Kempner.

“For the pasta, roast them with a good bit of salt, pepper and olive oil until they’re coloured and nice and soft, and then mix it with a bit of cream and lemon to make an easy pasta sauce.”

The chef also recommends picking them before they grow too large.

“A lot of people leave marrows to get as big as they possibly can because it’s fun and impressive, but actually, the bigger they get, the more watery they will become and they will lose flavour,” says Kempner.

“So, if you’re not too concerned about winning any fruit or vegetable competitions, I would recommend picking them when they are smaller and most like courgettes when the flavour and texture tends to be better.”

Cobnuts

“Cobnuts are also one of my favourite ingredients to use in autumn, but I think a lot of people see them growing or in a supermarket and don’t know what they are or what to do with them,” says Kempner.

“They look like chestnuts, but are a bit larger and milkier and are a really lovely way of adding a seasonal twist to regular recipes.”

They can be eaten raw or used to elevate a variety of recipes.

“You could add them into a pesto, roast them and put them into a salad, or crush them up to make delicious crumble topping,” suggests Kempner.

These special nuts are sold fresh this time of year with green husks, not dried like most other nuts.

“They only appear in autumn for a very short number of weeks, so it’s really worth going out and giving them a go, because unlike a lot of other veg which you do see in the supermarkets all-year round, these are really uniquely seasonal,” says Kempner.