AUTUMN IN THE COTSWOLDS

Autumn is well and truly set in at King John’s Barn and across all of the Cotswolds for that matter.  Our summer has been productive with the silage made and our straw pile built ready to provide the feed and bedding for all of our cattle who are starting to come home for the winter from their summer grazing at Bourton-on-the-Water.  Hopefully our neighbours have managed to finish their harvest after what has been a very tricky summer for the ones who grow corn, some have only just managed to harvest the beans and some still have straw on the ground which is very frustrating.

We have had one or two misty mornings already and there is nothing better than waking up to the mist rising followed by a lovely sunny day and an even better evening with the moon lighting everything up and the barn owl flying quietly past.  We were lucky to pick lots of beautiful fresh field mushrooms including this gigantic one which measured a foot across its diameter and fed us all for breakfast one morning.

I have been busy making crab apple jelly and stewing the many cooking apples that are so abundant this year due to the almost perfect growing season consisting of warm days and damp nights, so we will have plenty to have with our home grown roast lamb and local pork.

If you have a glut of apples then Gardeners World has great tips on storing them for eating and using throughout the winter months or if you want something to follow your Sunday Roast then you must try Mary Berry’s Best Apple Cake Recipe which is delicious eaten warm or can be frozen for another day so why not make a batch and be ready for last minute guests.