Autumn may be the most social season of all, and these elevated but not exhausting ideas make every get-together a small celebration
T
he golden light lingers a little longer now, and somehow the evenings are full again. Autumn feels like the true social season of the year: the guest bedroom (for which we have an informal booking system) is full through to the end of the year, and suddenly every weekend and many weekday evenings are wrapped around company. Even if it’s just dinner at home for house guests, the rhythm has changed.
When it’s just us for dinner, anything goes – it is very relaxed and informal, and the emphasis is on ease of execution and speed of service. For a dinner party, meanwhile, we go all out: trips to the butcher and speciality deli, and as much time in the kitchen as is needed. But cooking for, and indeed with, house guests falls somewhere delightfully in between: cosy and welcoming, elevated but not exhausting. The kind of food that says: you’re here, you matter, let’s linger.
This autumn, we’ve been turning to the sort of recipes that hit that sweet spot. Rukmini Iyer’s roast red pepper and tomato orecchiette, topped with pistachios and ricotta, is an easy win – full of colour and comfort, but smart enough for guests. On chillier evenings, a pot of Felicity Cloake’s vegetable tagine, fragrant with saffron, squash, olives and prunes, practically cooks itself while you pour the wine and set the table.
