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Get cosy: 3 easy autumn recipes to try at home..

As the evenings draw in, there’s nothing better than coming home to comforting homemade food. Discover three easy autumn recipes, from warming sweet potato soup and hearty sausage casserole to a classic apple and blackberry crumble.

I don’t know about you, but for me the weekly meal planning before the big shop is possibly the most stressful task of my week! It’s so easy to keep repeating the same old favourites week after week, until you’re sick of the sight of spaghetti bolognaise and never want to mash another potato. So, as one of my new season resolutions I have decided to expand my culinary horizons a little and add just a few more gourmet strings to my weekly menu bow. Having tried and tasted a whole series of recipes, I keep coming back to just a few (here we go again!) but oh, they are good. Easy to make, full of flavour, perfect for the onset of the winter chill – and even the kids eat them!

Thai chicken and sweet potato soup

If you’re looking for something a little different from the usual autumn vegetable soup, this Thai-inspired recipe is well worth trying. Sweet potato gives it a naturally creamy texture, while coconut cream, ginger, lemongrass and Thai red curry paste bring plenty of flavour. Add tender pieces of chicken and a squeeze of fresh lime and you’ve got a warming, satisfying bowl of goodness that works perfectly as an evening meal or a Saturday lunch special.

Ingredients

  • Splash or light olive oil 
  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 2 skinless chicken breasts, sliced
  • 1 tin of coconut cream (if there’s a choice, get the full fat one!)
  • 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste (red curry paste is milder than green, but if you’re not a fan of spice, perhaps start with half this and add more if needed to build to your comfort level)
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, grated, or 1tsp lazy ginger
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 stalk of lemongrass (this keeps ages in the fridge, or you can use lazy lemongrass) 
  • 1 red chilli (or 1 tsp lazy red chilli) or indeed none if you’re not a fan of the heat
  • One handful fresh coriander (though we use more as we’re big fans!) Cut the stalks off from the leaves and put the leaves to one side
  • 300ml chicken stock 
  • Juice of 1 lime (I buy the small bottles of lime juice, I have to confess)
  • ½ to 1 tsp fish sauce (I made this first without and it’s fine, but definitely better with) Start with a half teaspoon and add a splash more if you think it needs it)

Method

  1. Gently fry off the garlic, ginger, chilli, lemongrass, coriander stalks and Thai curry paste to release their lovely aromas
  2. Add the chicken stock, coconut cream and chopped sweet potato, then simmer until the potatoes are tender
  3. Blend until smooth, then add the sliced chicken, cooking gently for 7-10 minutes (until they’re thoroughly cooked)
  4. Finish with a splash of lime juice, a little fish sauce and fresh coriander leaves

To make this an evening meal, we often cook some egg noodles and add a portion into the bottom of the bowl before pouring the soup over. We’ve done it with rice, too, which is less messy to eat, it has to be said!

Sausage and bean casserole 

When the weather turns colder, a hearty casserole is hard to beat. This sausage and bean version has become a real family favourite – and not a mashed potato in sight. It’s also a great one-pot meal, which means less washing up!

Ingredients

  • 8 good-quality pork sausages
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, chopped (for fussy eaters, chop very small and they virtually disappear)
  • 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, crushed
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tin butter beans, drained and rinsed (tell your fussy eater they are their fave baked beans super-sized)
  • 300ml chicken stock
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 tsp dried mixed herbs
  • Salt and pepper

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large casserole dish or deep saucepan. Brown the sausages all over, then remove and set aside

2. Add the onion and carrots to the same pan and cook gently for around five minutes until they start to soften

3. Stir in the garlic and the tomato purée and cook out for another minute

4. Add the chopped tomatoes, chicken stock and mixed herbs and stir well

5. Return the sausages to the pan and bring everything to a gentle simmer

6. Cover and cook for around 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don’t let it bubble too hard, a gentle simmer is perfect to cook the sausages through and soften all the veg

7. Add the butter beans and cook, lid off, for a further 10 minutes until the sauce has thickened and the sausages are cooked through

8. Season to taste and serve!

We choose crusty garlic bread as an accompaniment to this sausage casserole, as it’s great dipped in the sauce but, of course, a buttery mash would work well too.

Little tip: You can prepare this casserole earlier in the day and gently reheat it when you’re ready for dinner. It tastes even better once the flavours have had time to develop.

Traditional homemade apple and blackberry crumble

Is there a more comforting autumn pudding than apple crumble? With its buttery, golden topping and soft, sweet apples underneath, it’s a proper British classic. Best of all, it’s incredibly easy to make and fills the house with the most wonderful smell while it’s baking.

Cooking apples are abundant in supermarkets at the moment, and you may even be lucky enough to have a neighbour who kindly leaves their spares outside their gate for passers-by to help themselves to, as we do!

Ingredients

For the filling:

5-6 medium cooking apples

A punnet of blackberries

2 tbsp caster sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon or ½ tsp mixed spice

2 tbsp water

For the crumble topping:

150g plain flour

150g cold butter, cubed

100g caster sugar or demerara sugar

40g rolled oats (optional)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan) or Gas Mark 4.

2. Peel, core and chop the apples into chunks. While you’re doing this, have a bowl of cold water alongside your chopping board with a squirt of lemon juice in. Drop the apples as you chop them into the water and it will prevent them from going brown as you chop the rest.

3. Place the chopped apple in a saucepan with the caster sugar, cinnamon and water. Cook gently for around five minutes until the apples just start to soften. Don’t let them start to disintegrate, or you will have an apple puree pudding

4. Transfer the apples into an ovenproof dish

5. Tip the blackberries onto the apples and arrange evenly across the dish

6 To make the crumble, rub the cold butter into the flour using your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. If you haven’t done this before, it’s really satisfying, but you can pulse the flour, butter and sugar in a food processor if you prefer.

6. Stir in the sugar 

7. Sprinkle the crumble mixture evenly over the apples without pressing it down and top with the oats (if using) and an extra sprinkle of demerara or table sugar 

8. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the topping is golden and the fruit is bubbling around the edges

Serve with: custard, vanilla ice cream or a generous spoonful of double cream. 

Making the most of cosy autumn evenings

Of course, autumn isn’t just about what’s on the menu. It’s also a lovely time to make a few little changes around the home to help you enjoy those darker evenings.

Think soft, jewel-coloured throws over the sofa, a few extra cushions, warm lamps rather than harsh overhead lighting and perhaps a softly scented candle, too.

There’s no need to spend a fortune. Sometimes it’s simply about making your surroundings feel warm, comfortable and inviting. Leaning into an autumnal colour palette helps with viewings too, as people are naturally drawn to the warmth of russets, dark reds, gold and rich orange at this time of year.

Here’s to cosy evenings, good food and making the most of autumn!

Looking for easy autumn recipes to enjoy at home?

These three comforting dishes are perfect for October and colder evenings. Make homemade vegetable soup with seasonal vegetables, a hearty sausage and butter bean casserole for a warming family dinner, or traditional apple crumble with a golden buttery topping for a classic autumn pudding. All three recipes use straightforward ingredients, are easy to prepare and bring a little extra warmth to autumn evenings.

Eddie – Friday 30th October 2026.