View this email in your browser.

Hello!

For all the late summer sun, it's unambiguously autumn now. But I'm not downhearted - the chill in the air brings with it hopes of bumper foraging harvests. The hedgerows may still give a good few handfuls of blackberries, bittersweet sloes and crab apples hang heavy, and you should find the first of the sweet chestnuts. This is also a fine time for a mushroom hunt - but don't take any chances if you can't identify your finds. I rely on my friend and wild food guru John Wright's excellent River Cottage Mushroom Handbook - and sometimes send him pics of my finds to double-check!

This is a season we love at River Cottage HQ, as the colours change in the hedge and garden and the menu reflects the rich harvest. It's exactly what we will celebrate next week in our Taste of Autumn event, with sessions in fermentation, wood-fired cookery, cocktail making and wild food with our resident experts including Gill Meller and Rachel de Thample. I'm hosting the day myself and there are still a couple of places left if you fancy joining me.

It's just over a month until our programme of Christmas courses begins. These ever-popular courses will ensure you've got all the skills and ingredients for a Christmas to remember. Book now and let us help you make this festive season tasty and tension-free.

BOOK NOW

Whatever the weather, a warm welcome awaits you at River Cottage so treat yourself to an inimitable feast this autumn. Your lunch or dinner will feature the finest the season has to offer; with ingredients reared, foraged or grown either on our or one of our neighbouring farms. Find out what guests have been enjoying recently

BOOK NOW

Looking for somewhere for a special get-together? Have you considered River Cottage? We can help you plan your perfect event and create a menu especially for you. Choose between our intimate Farmhouse or beautifully restored Threshing Barn. Contact our Events Team today to start planning!

GET IN TOUCH

It's not too late to book a course for this month. There are places on Curing and Smoking, Gluten-Free Cookery, Bread Making and One or Two Day Classic Cookery. Looking ahead, many of our spring 2020 courses are close to selling out so act now if you'd like to join us.

BOOK NOW

As Hugh mentioned above, there are a handful of tickets left for this very special event. Hugh has been closely involved in planning this amazing day-long event which includes a foraging foray with Head Gardener Helen Musgrave; joining Gill Meller for an outdoor cookery session; learning the art of fermentation with Rachel de Thample and a boozy workshop. Hugh will join the event for a Q&A, book signing and an aperitif before the evening feast.

FIND OUT MORE AND GET TICKETS

Win a crate of our new River Cottage Organic Helles Lager

Have you tried our new River Cottage Organic Lager yet? This exciting addition to our fantastic line-up of beer, ciders and sparkling wine is developed and produced in partnership with the innovative independent British brewer, Freedom Brewery. It's a truly outstanding lager – even if we do say so ourselves!
But don't just take our word for it! Head to our Facebook page and enter our competition and you could win a crate of it.

ENTER NOW

At this time of year, the River Cottage Land Team are busy preparing for the chilly months ahead and, as ever, there is plenty to do! Here are some tips to make sure your garden is ready for winter:

Keep the base of autumn plants clean by removing dead leaves from the base. This will reduce the risk of fungal disease and will remove habitat for slugs and snails.
Be sure to dig up and bring in half-hardy plants like tarragon and lemon verbena before the first heavy frost.
Mulching perennial crops with compost will protect soil from weathering and feed the roots for the following year.
Plant coriander and parsley in autumn as they grow really well undercover over winter and will put on a good flush in spring.
Plant garlic cloves direct into the soil at this time of year, this will give you a good crop of bulbs in June.

Join Helen Musgrave, River Cottage Head Gardener for a fun and educational one-day Get Growing course, next year and learn a comprehensive range of skills and techniques to get the most out of your outdoor space.

River Cottage is pleased to support Goatober again this year. Goatober was established in the US in 2012 as a way to promote goat meat as delicious, ethical and sustainable. In 2016, James Whetlor, founder of Cabrito Goat Meat and former River Cottage chef, introduced Goatober to the UK. It is now a month-long celebration of goat meat and an international campaign bringing together those who are passionate about ending food waste in the goat dairy system. FIND OUT MORE

The recipe below, created by Hugh is a great example of the versatility and delicious potential of goat meat.

Kid, lentil and labneh salad with parsley and dukka

Ingredients

50g Puy lentils
½ garlic clove, finely chopped
½ tsp English mustard
3 ½ tbsp extra virgin olive oil
a good squeeze of lemon juice
300g kid leg steak, about 2cm thick, or kid chops
olive or rapeseed oil, for frying
2 good handfuls of flatleaf parsley leaves
150g labneh yoghurt cheese
salt and freshly ground black pepper

for the dukka

50g whole blanched almonds or hazelnuts
½ tbsp cumin seeds
½ tbsp coriander seeds
1 ½ tbsp sesame seeds
½ tbsp sunflower seeds
¼ tsp dried chilli flakes
¼ tsp flaky sea salt

Method

Put the lentils in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10–15 minutes, until tender but still al dente. Drain and return to the pan. Add the garlic, mustard, olive oil, lemon juice and some salt and pepper, and stir well. Put the lid on the pan to keep the lentils warm.
While the lentils are cooking, make the dukka: set a dry frying pan over a medium heat, add the nuts and all the seeds and allow them to toast gently, tossing them often so they don't burn.
When the nuts are lightly coloured, transfer to a pestle and mortar. Add the chilli and sea salt. Give the mix a good bashing but leave it nicely textured and chunky. Set aside.
Heat a frying pan over a high heat. Rub the steak or chops with a little oil, season and lay the meat in the hot pan. Cook for about 7 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times, to render the meat nicely browned but still pink in the middle. Remove the pan from the heat but leave the meat in it to rest for a further 5 minutes.
Scatter the parsley over two plates. Spoon over the labneh and about half the lentils. Slice the meat thinly (leave chops whole) and arrange over the plates. Add the remaining lentils and any of the lovely seasoned oil left in the pan. Scatter over some of the dukka and serve.