The Comfort of Autumn Cooking: Six Wholesome Recipes to Embrace the Season

As the air turns crisp and the days grow shorter, I find myself drawn to the comforting rhythm of slow, seasonal cooking. The garden is shifting into its golden phase, full of late blooms, trailing herbs, and the last of the tomatoes clinging to their vines. In the herb patch, rosemary, thyme, and sage are thriving, while the veggie beds gift us plump butternut pumpkins, leafy silverbeet, and the beginnings of citrus. Apples are at their best right now- crisp, tart, and begging to be baked into something warming.

Autumn is a season of nourishment. It’s about meals that warm you from the inside, that fill the home with cinnamon, roasting garlic, and bubbling stews. It’s a time to slow down, eat simply, and gather close. Here are five of my favourite recipes to celebrate the season, all made with what’s abundant in the garden or at the local farmers market right now.

 

1. Roasted Butternut Pumpkin Soup with Thyme & Garlic

There’s something sacred about roasting pumpkin on a chilly evening. This soup is velvet-smooth and packed with flavour from the caramelised pumpkin and garlic. Its a ritual that every week during the cooler months, I make a different soup - this one is a firm favourite and one of the first recipes my Mum taught me to make as a young adult who had no idea when it came to cooking!

Ingredients:

- 1 large butternut pumpkin, peeled and cubed

- 2 carrots, peeled

- 1 onion, quartered

- 4 cloves garlic, peeled

- Olive oil

- Fresh thyme (or dried if needed)

- 1 litre vegetable stock

- Salt & pepper

- A swirl of cream or coconut cream to serve

 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Place pumpkin, onion, and garlic on a baking tray. Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with thyme, salt and pepper. Roast until golden and soft (around 40 minutes).

2. In a large pot, combine roasted veg and stock. Simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Blend until smooth. Adjust seasoning. Serve warm with sourdough and a drizzle of cream.

 

2. Apple Pie Porridge with Cinnamon & Pecans

Perfect for cool, misty mornings when you need a bowl of something hearty and sweet. My son in particular loves this recipe!

Ingredients:

- 1 cup rolled oats

- 2 cups milk (or oat/almond milk)

- 1 apple, grated

- ½ tsp cinnamon

- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey

- A pinch of salt

- Crushed pecans or walnuts

- Butter or cream to top

Method:

1. In a saucepan, combine oats, milk, apple, cinnamon, salt, and maple syrup. Simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring often.

2. Serve with a knob of butter or cream and a sprinkle of pecans.

 

3. Silverbeet & Ricotta Galette with Garden Herbs

Silverbeet is still thriving in the autumn garden and pairs beautifully with creamy ricotta and flaky pastry. Perfect for on-the-go lunches and is wonderful with a big dollop of homemade tomato chutney!

Ingredients:

- 1 sheet puff pastry

- 1 bunch silverbeet, chopped

- 1 cup ricotta

- 1 egg

- ½ cup grated parmesan

- Chopped herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary)

- Salt & pepper

 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Sauté silverbeet until wilted and cool slightly.

2. Mix ricotta, egg, parmesan, herbs, and silverbeet. Season well.

3. Place pastry on a baking tray. Spread filling in the centre, leaving a border. Fold the edges over.

4. Bake for 30–35 minutes until golden. Delicious hot or cold.

 

4. Spiced Apple Pie with a Buttery Crust

A seasonal must-bake. This apple pie is packed with spice and sweetness and best served warm with cream or custard.

Ingredients

Filling:

- 6 apples (mix of tart and sweet, I tend to go for a mix of Granny Smith and Pink Lady), peeled and sliced

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 1 tsp cinnamon

- ¼ tsp nutmeg

- 1 tbsp plain flour

- Juice of ½ lemon

- A big swirl of Spiced Rum (optional)

 

Crust:

- 2½ cups flour

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tbsp sugar

- 200g cold butter, cubed

- 5–6 tbsp ice water

 

Method:

1. Make the crust by rubbing butter into flour mixture until crumbly. Add water gradually until a dough forms. Chill for 30 minutes.

2. Toss apple slices with sugar, spices, flour, rum and lemon.

3. Roll out pastry, line a pie dish, fill with apples, and cover with top crust. Vent and brush with milk.

4. Bake at 180°C for 45–50 mins until golden and bubbling.

 

5. Citrus & Herb Roast Chicken with Garlic Potatoes

As our citrus trees start producing, I love using lemons in savoury dishes. This roast chicken is infused with fresh garden herbs and zesty lemon - perfect for Sunday lunch.

Ingredients:

- 1 whole chicken or thighs/drumsticks

- 2 lemons

- Handful of rosemary, thyme, sage

- 4 cloves garlic

- Olive oil

- 6 potatoes, quartered

- Salt & pepper

 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 190°C.

2. In a bowl, combine olive oil, lemon zest and juice, crushed garlic, chopped herbs, salt and pepper.

3. Rub marinade all over chicken and potatoes. Roast in a tray for 1 hour or until chicken is golden and cooked through.

 

6. Steak & Guinness Pie with Lancashire Relish

This hearty, slow-cooked pie is a staple in our home once the weather turns. Rich, savoury, and deeply comforting, the key is long, gentle cooking and a splash of Lancashire Relish - our little secret that adds the perfect tangy depth. This recipe is one of those that fills the whole house with rich, savoury aromas and has everyone peeking into the kitchen asking when dinner is ready. Perfect for Sunday evenings, preferably eaten by candlelight with a glass of red or a cuppa.

Ingredients:

- 1kg beef chuck steak, diced

- 2 tbsp flour

- Salt & pepper

- Olive oil or butter

- 1 onion, finely chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 carrots, diced

- 6 Swiss brown mushrooms, chopped 

- 1 celery stalk, chopped

- 330ml Guinness (or other dark stout)

- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

- 2 tsp Lancashire Relish

- 1 tbsp tomato paste

- 2 cups beef stock

- 2 sprigs thyme + 1 bay leaf

- Puff pastry (1–2 sheets)

- 1 egg (for brushing)

 

Method:

1. Toss beef in flour, salt, and pepper. Brown in batches in a heavy pot with oil or butter. Set aside.

2. In the same pot, add onions, garlic, carrots, mushrooms and celery. Sauté until soft.

3. Return beef to the pot and stir in tomato paste, Guinness, Worcestershire, Lancashire Relish, and stock. Add thyme and bay leaf.

4. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat and cook low and slow for 2 hours (or transfer to oven at 160°C), until beef is melt-in-your-mouth tender. Remove lid near the end to thicken.

5. Cool slightly, then spoon into a pie dish. Top with puff pastry, crimp edges, and brush with egg.

6. Bake at 200°C for 25–30 minutes until golden and puffed.

To Serve: With buttery mashed potato or creamy parsnip mash, and a generous helping of peas or wilted silverbeet.

 

What’s In Season Now (Autumn in Australia):

- Butternut pumpkin

- Apples & pears

- Silverbeet & kale

- Lemons, oranges, mandarins

- Herbs: thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley

- Carrots, onions, potatoes

- Late tomatoes, beetroot, fennel

 

Whether you’re simmering a soup while your little one paints autumn leaves or baking a pie to share with family after a garden walk, these recipes are about more than food—they’re about presence, memory, and nourishment.

Light a candle, wrap a shawl around your shoulders, and let the scent of roasted pumpkin or apple pie fill your home.

 

Until next time, my loves.

With love and wildflowers,

Kels x