In what seems like a week, the leaves which are tinged with yellow become fully orange and russet and the streets become paved with gold as the city embraces its autumnal makeover. Surely the best autumn days are the freezing ones with blue skies, where you can wrap up and go for a bracing walk in order to work up an appetite for a hearty meal.

I also find that autumn is the time where I ramp up my cooking and baking efforts. It may be because I have read Nigel Slater recipes for years (he’s a self confessed lover of the colder seasons), but the making of stews, soups and crumbles is my kind of cooking. It’s also, in my opinion, the best time to get out into those cold yet sunny days and forage for hedgerow jewels such as brambles and elderberries, which are then turned into jams and cordials. Drinks too get a seasonal twist. Suddenly there’s a craving for a hot toddy, warm cider or coffee sprinkled with cinnamon. Hot chocolate becomes a go-to rather than a treat.

The last few years have also seen a huge rise in decorating our homes for autumn, with wreaths, garlands and seasonal lights (usually pumpkin themed) for sale in supermarkets and online stores. I’m not ashamed to say my dining table now has a pumpkin themed runner, LED pumpkin lights and a seasonal bouquet of dried flowers. We also have coffee in Emma Bridgewater Halloween themed mugs, and eat homemade soup from pumpkin bowls. It’s also the season of filling the living room with candles and, I find, the best time to invite friends and family over for dinner. Not to mention Halloween - an ideal excuse for a party and, as it’s my mum’s birthday, a date that we’ve always celebrated as a family.

Although it’s sad to lose the light and promise of summer, autumn gives the perfect excuse to follow what’s going on in nature and slow down, get comfortable and warm, and relax into a different pace of life.

Sad that summer is over but long live autumn