Autumn Favourites

A few fallen leaves, some twigs and a handful of stones can go a surprisingly long way at Halloween. Here are ten easy decorations to make with garden finds and things you probably already have indoors.

Autumn used to mean more than pumpkins and cosy shopping. It was a season for preserving food, repairing clothes, preparing the house, sharing what you had and slowing down as the nights drew in. Here are eight old-fashioned autumn habits I'd love to bring back.

Every coat, boot and jumper I've reached for this autumn came from someone else's wardrobe. I'm an eBay reseller who lives on a preloved autumn wardrobe, and the case for it is stronger than I expected, on price, on planet, and on finding things that actually fit.

Every year I leave it slightly too late, and every year the first cold snap finds me standing next to a radiator I forgot to bleed, wearing two jumpers indoors. This is the cosy house checklist I now keep pinned inside the kitchen cupboard.

There seems to be a point every August when the internet collectively decides that autumn decorating requires an entirely new house.

October can make the garden feel suddenly over, but there’s still plenty happening. This practical October garden checklist covers what needs doing now, what’s better left alone, and how a little autumn maintenance can set everything up for spring.

The evenings are drawing in and the heating bill is already making you wince. Good news: the best autumn nights in don't require a shopping trip. Here are ten ideas that cost next to nothing and actually feel worth doing.

This is the cauliflower soup I make on rotation all winter. It takes about half an hour, uses a soup maker, and the result is thick and creamy without needing a separate blender or a sink full of pots. The egg trick at the end is the thing nobody tells you about, and it makes a real difference.

Apple butter is one of those things that sounds harder than it is. You don't need any specialist equipment, and most of the work happens in the oven while you get on with something else. This recipe gives you a dark, deeply flavoured spread that keeps in the fridge for weeks.

Carrot and coriander soup is one of those recipes that never really goes out of fashion, and the soup maker version is genuinely the easiest way to do it. This is how I make mine, what I've learned along the way, and a few tweaks worth knowing about.

Autumn in the UK lasts about ten minutes if you're not paying attention. One week it's warm enough for a jacket, the next you're scraping ice off the car. These are the six things worth actually making time for before it's gone.