Autumn is Here

When the mornings start to get dark and the evenings come in fast; the nights are cold, mornings are brisk, but the days turn warm; you know autumn has arrived.

The leaves on our plum tree start falling although not turning to golden colours and the growing of the summer vegetables slow. When I light the fire to burn rubbish there is a welcomed glow lifting the chill of a morning or a rainy day.

But that rain is pleasing to Harry and me as it means that mushrooms will be growing in our favourite spots.

However this year when we have gone for our evening stroll, with Charlotte, on a leash there have been no mushrooms. It’s like someone has been there before us! We have collected them for years in this area so there does not seem to be any other explanation. Now this is public land so we can’t ‘claim’ them as ours but “we” are not amused.

However there is a new area we have discovered, our own front yard! We have gathered two bowls over a few days and so mushroom sauce for our steak is still an autumn pleasure.

Mushroom Sauce

I clean any dirt or grass off the base of the stalks and tops of the mushroom trying not to wash them as the added water makes them soggy when I pan fry them.

I fry them on a medium heat with very little butter (about half a teaspoon).

Once they have become dry and reduced I add about a heaped teaspoon of flour and a good shake of mushroom stock and cook this stirring gently.

Then I slowly add the cream a tablespoon at a time trying not to boil it but allowing it to thicken.

We have it with steak, chops and chicken.