Autumn is one of my favourite times of year. I love the smell of wood smoke as people begin to light their fires in the evening and the crackle of leaves underfoot as I yomp in the field with my dogs and I particularly love the seasonal foods that go along with the changing season. I'm not really a salad person or even a cold food person really, I much prefer warming soups and stews and casseroles. Good, hearty cold weather food. I love cabbage and broccoli and beetroot and cauliflower and sprouts and basically all things green and leafy (except lettuce!). Whenever I can, I prefer to buy locally grown, seasonal fruit and vegetables and try not to buy vegetables from the supermarket (although there are times when I find that a quick trip to my local Morrisons is all I can cope with) and my favourite place to get my veg is at a local farm shop. They have a fantastic range of seasonal fruit and veg and they look so luscious. The seasonal squash in the photograph below looked so perfect that I actually thought they were plastic and I picked one up to check!