1. Start with What’s Available
Rather than choosing a recipe first and then searching for every ingredient, try starting with what’s in season.
Take a look at what’s available at your local supermarket, greengrocer or farmers’ market and choose a few ingredients that catch your eye. You can then build a meal around them.
In September, that might mean picking up some British apples, courgettes, tomatoes, sweetcorn or butternut squash and deciding how you’ll use them throughout the week.
This simple switch can make your cooking more spontaneous and help you discover ingredients you might not normally buy.
2. Swap Ingredients in Your Favourite Recipes
You don’t need a completely new collection of recipes to start cooking seasonally.
Instead, look at some of your favourite dishes and see whether you can swap an ingredient for something that’s currently in season.
For example, try adding roasted butternut squash to a pasta dish, swapping out summer berries for apples in a crumble or adding seasonal vegetables to a frittata.
The basic recipe can stay the same while the ingredients change with the seasons.
3. Make One-Pan Meals Your Go-To
One-pan cooking is an easy way to make seasonal vegetables the star of a meal.
Simply choose a protein, add a selection of seasonal vegetables, season well and let your pan or roasting tray do the work.
In September, try roasting salmon with courgette, peppers, red onion and tomatoes, or combine sausages with apples, onions and root vegetables.
Cooking everything together also allows the flavours to mingle, creating a delicious meal with minimal preparation and washing up.
4. Try a New Seasonal Ingredient Each Week
Cooking seasonally is a great opportunity to get out of a food rut.
Choose one ingredient each week that you don’t usually cook with and find a simple way to use it. You don’t need to choose something complicated – even a different variety of apple or a type of squash you’ve never tried can be enough.
Start with something approachable and look for recipes with straightforward preparation. Over time, you’ll build up a much wider repertoire of seasonal ingredients and dishes.
5. Let Vegetables Take Centre Stage
Seasonal cooking doesn’t have to revolve around meat or fish. Vegetables can be the main event.
Roast a tray of seasonal vegetables and serve them with grains, pulses or a simple sauce. Turn squash into soup, make courgettes the star of a pasta dish or roast tomatoes with garlic and herbs for a simple side.
This is also a great way to make meals more colourful and varied, while allowing the natural flavours of seasonal produce to shine.
6. Keep Your Cooking Simple
One of the best things about seasonal ingredients is that they don’t need much done to them.
Fresh, ripe produce can often be transformed with little more than olive oil, herbs, spices and a little seasoning.
Try roasting vegetables until caramelised, sautéing them in a good non-stick pan or cooking them slowly to bring out their natural sweetness.
The simpler the preparation, the more you’ll notice the flavour and texture of the ingredients themselves.
7. Cook Extra and Make It Go Further
Seasonal cooking can also help you make the most of what you’ve bought.
If you’re roasting vegetables, cook a little extra and use the leftovers in lunches, salads, pasta or frittatas. Extra cooked grains can become the base for a quick weekday bowl, while leftover roast chicken can be transformed into sandwiches, salads or stir-fries.
Cooking in larger quantities doesn’t just save time – it can help reduce food waste and make seasonal ingredients work harder throughout the week.
Make Seasonal Cooking Part of Your Routine
You don’t have to overhaul your entire approach to food to cook more seasonally. Start small by choosing one or two seasonal ingredients each week, adapting recipes you already enjoy and experimenting with simple cooking methods.
September is an especially good time to start. The last of summer’s produce is still available, while autumn favourites are beginning to appear, giving you plenty of choice.
Whether you’re roasting vegetables in the oven, creating a quick one-pan supper or trying a new seasonal ingredient, the right cookware can make everyday cooking easier.
With Circulon cookware in your kitchen, you can sauté, roast, simmer and fry your way through the seasons – making it simple to turn fresh, seasonal ingredients into delicious meals all year round.
