Autumn Food Stars: What to Cook, Plant and Pick Now 2026

Autumn food stars are at their peak, offering a bounty of flavors for cooking, planting, and picking. From aromatic quince to earthy mushrooms, this season delivers unique ingredients that inspire hearty dishes and rewarding foraging.

Why Autumn Produce Shines

As temperatures drop, many fruits and vegetables develop deeper flavors and textures. Autumn food stars like quince, leeks, apples, squash, and wild mushrooms are not only delicious but also versatile. They can be roasted, poached, or sautéed to bring out their natural sweetness.

Top Autumn Ingredients to Cook

Quince

Hard as a baseball and initially unpromising, quince are at their best cooked until beautifully aromatic. To save the torture of peeling (thank you, queen of preserving Pam Corbin), poach whole until soft, cool, then discard the core and blitz.

Leeks

Try cooking these sweet, oniony joys in a moderate oven, wrapped in foil with just a dash of olive oil and a sliced garlic clove per leek, until soft and luscious – about 40 minutes, depending on thickness.

Apples

Of the thousands of apple varieties, you’ll find only a few in the shops. For those with the best flavour and texture – including Egremont Russet, Worcester Pearmain, and Cox’s Orange Pippin – buy direct or from online suppliers, such as Riverford.

Squash

As good as a standard butternut can be, Uchiki Kuri, crown prince and acorn table are a class apart and really worth looking for. Roast unpeeled and deseeded, with a little oil and earthy spices, until soft.

Foraging Autumn Mushrooms

September and October are the best time to pick chanterelles (AKA girolles) and porcini (AKA ceps/penny buns), when warm weather followed by rain makes them most abundant. Take John Wright’s Mushrooms: River Cottage Handbook to identify them, or buy fresh fungi online.

Roasting Chestnuts

Autumn doesn’t feel fully here until I’m roasting chestnuts (while silently singing) over an open fire. Cut a cross into the end and cook using a chestnut roaster or in the oven until the skins split and the nuts are tender.

Comparison of Autumn Food Stars

Key Takeaways

• Embrace seasonal cooking with quince, leeks, apples, and squash.
• Forage responsibly for porcini and chanterelles in early autumn.
• Roast chestnuts for a classic autumn treat.
• Buy direct from suppliers for best apple varieties.

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