Best ways to celebrate autumn

Celebrate seasonal produce

Autumn brings with it a wealth of seasonal produce to use in everyday cooking and baking. Fill meals with hearty beetroot, chard and cavolo nero, then have fun baking pies, crumbles and cakes with autumn fruit. We can't resist a crumble at this time of year, whether that's a spiced pear crumble or classic apple and blackberry crumble. Bright beetroot livens up winter salads – like in our beetroot and goat's cheese citrus salad recipe – while nutritious cavolo nero can be added to hearty soups, casseroles or veggie lasagne. Learn how to make the most of autumn ingredients and discover plenty more seasonal ideas.

Give your kitchen an autumn makeover

Goodbye summer, hello autumn! It's time to pack away the picnic kit and embrace the changing of the seasons. Adding new kitchenware will give your space a mini autumn makeover in no time. The White Company's classic autumn candle, lined with apple slices, makes a lovely table centrepiece, while the berry tones of the gingham table runner from Piglet in Bed is a pretty backdrop for autumn dinner parties. Check out our best autumn home decor ideas for more interiors inspiration, including our favourite roasting tin, a new shade of classic Le Creuset dishes, chic salad servers and a sweet maple leaf plate.

Book a cosy cabin getaway

Book a cosy weekend in a cabin for an autumn mini break. Check out our picks of cool cabins in the UK for a snug staycation. Stay in a unique treehouse in Hampshire with Wild Escapes and wake up to breakfast hampers curated by Hampshire producers, including small-batch Moon Roast coffee, Nicky’s Kitchen sourdough and Fluffetts Farm free-range eggs.

Or, discover the wooden trailer at the bottom of Artist Residence Oxfordshire’s abundant kitchen garden. Inside, quirky fabrics embellish wood-panelled walls and floors, including foliage-patterned curtains, a burnt-orange velvet window seat and hand-woven cushions in muted tones. Though compact, the tiny space is kitted out with the venue’s signature luxuries: Bramley toiletries to enjoy in the rainfall shower, a flat-screen TV to watch from the double bed and individual pouches of Joe's Tea Co infusions to sip in front of the tile-backed log burner.

Have an autumn cocktail

As the nights draw in, sip on autumn cocktails that make the most of seasonal produce. Blackberries – both fresh and in liqueur form – are the hero ingredient in a classic bramble cocktail, or try something new with our campfire cocktail, made with smoky bourbon and a unique marshmallow syrup.

Experience a vineyard harvest

Autumn is the perfect time to visit a vineyard, as you'll have the chance to immerse yourself in the annual harvest. Known for its world-class sparkling wines, Kent’s Balfour Winery is home to lush English vineyards, acres of ancient apple orchards and oak woodlands – perfect for nature- and wine-lovers alike. Located on the Hush Heath Estate, you can take a self-guided stroll or book in a full estate tour and tasting experience (from £45), during which an expert will show you around the vineyards, sharing the secrets and history of Balfour as you stroll. Sign up to hear about autumn harvest events and check out our guide to the best UK vineyards for more stays across Sussex, Devon, Wales and Kent.

Have a memorable meal

If you're marking a special occasion, tick somewhere off your restaurant bucket list and celebrate in style. We've rounded up the UK's best showstopping restaurants, from Brooklands in Belgravia, with its sweeping rooftop views, to Italian-style fun at Jacuzzi, where you can feast on sharing spaghetti alla chitarra with truffle sauce, parmesan foam and fresh black truffle, prepared tableside and served in a 4kg pecorino wheel.

Become an urban forager

From hedgerows and woodlands, to fields and parks, there are plenty of outdoor spaces that are great for foraging juicy blackberries, bright-red rosehips, elderberries or sloes. Put your foraged bounty to good use in one of our crumble recipes or autumnal cakes – you'll love our pretty blackberry cake, blackberry brownies and warming damson cobbler. For more guidance on foraging, check out our guide to picking autumn berries.

Showcase your jam-making skills

Making jam is deceptively easy, and it's a brilliant way to use up any seasonal fruit you may have. Damsons are ready to harvest from August, and make wonderful jam with a sweet-tart flavour. You can also pick blackberries in September and October – they grow in hedgerows all over the UK and many are free to pick, so find them while they're in season and preserve them in our blackberry jam or blackberry gin.

Happy with the finished product? Put it to good use in our recipes using jam, such as jam tarts and posh jammie dodgers.

Embrace Sunday roast season

A perk of the weather getting cooler is that it's the perfect time to seek out a Sunday roast. Head to the countryside for a weekend for a walk to see the autumn foliage, then reward yourself with the ultimate pub lunch. We've chosen some of our favourite walks in the UK, along with pubs to visit either en route or at the end. Our guide to the best country pubs has plenty more inspiration, and many also have rooms so you can stay for a weekend.

In the chocolate-box village of Harome in North Yorkshire, 14th-century pub The Star focusses on hyper-local produce, much of which is grown in the abundant kitchen garden. It's the perfect base for a weekend spent exploring the Yorkshire Moors, as you can return to the Michelin-starred menu after a day out. Sunday menus include local game when it’s in season, and a Yorkshire pudding royale stuffed with black truffle shavings and foie gras, served with aged madeira gravy.