Walking on apples

Have you ever caught an apple falling from a tree?

Cinnamon dusted and golden, falling free.

What a special moment that would be.

Read on, there's a simple recipe,

With love to you from me!

I know apples well, some are better for cooking than others. Aged three in my Granny's orchard in Ireland, I'd pick one and take a bite, often they were bitter, the sour explosion provoking a surrendering squirm, though sometimes, the best of times, they were fresh and crisp and simply delicious.  I found out their names and what they were best suited too. There are over 2,300 types in Britain alone, though Cox's Pippin apples are a good all rounder and an all time favourite, they can be eaten from the branch and are also good to cook with, though I had a few meetings with crab apples and soon realised they were better in pies, their sourness easing away with cooking. In fact the first dish I ever cooked was an apple pie and I still have a tiny scar on my right arm that marks the occasion and also where the oven gloves stopped! This is one of my favourite Irish proverbs, 

"When the apple is ripe it will fall."    

I love apples and now in Autumn this is my favourite way of eating them. Gently cooking them in hot melted butter, with a sprinkle of cinnamon and a dollop of crème fraiche to serve transforms the relatively reserved fruit into a fragrant temptress. Apples served this way share the rosiest of fruit times and ones kitchens scent welcomes and woos those close by. 

I couldn’t mention apples without noting the saying, “An apple a day keeps the Doctor away.” The Doctor may tell you that apples prevent the release of free radicals. Hence by eating them often, one may lower their chances of getting cancer; prevent Alzheimer's and manage diabetes - also apples contain Boron which increases bone strength. For me though it's how apples taste that make them delicious.

One of my favourite tonics is a long walk, it clears the mind, dusts off the cobwebs and helps me get my thoughts in order. However, at the moment my newborn son's hunger and sleeping times steer the course of my day, it feels totally natural in a sense, that is until I decide to impart control and order, then you can forget it, I feel like I'm walking on apples without enjoying their taste. Happily I've surrendered and as long as he’s fed and freshly changed he seems to love walking too, be it carried in a sling. So each day I love to amble and I’m noticing things for the first time that I’ve walked passed hundreds of times.

Transport was simpler back then...

Dazzling sun in Autumn is an invitation of the finest, a warm welcome to the great outdoors. I love my local farmers market in Notting Hill; it’s a feast for the senses.

Lunch on the go - a gorgeous Serbian pie - Burek, YUM!

Time ceases to matter in moments of happiness; in fact the ticking tock of a moving clock is the last thing anyone wants to be reminded of in moments of bliss.

Buying straight from the producer is the best way to shop

Seasonal sensations!

So I picked up some gorgeous seasonal apples from Sussex to make this simple apple treat, it lifts the natural fragrant freshness and very little needs to be done, this humble fruit deserves full recognition and gets a real boost when cooked in this fashion. Within five minutes the apples are golden and ready to eat. For an autumnal version of porridge scatter these apples on top or simply serve on their own with a spoonful of crème fraiche or Greek yogurt, whatever you prefer.

Caramelised apples

Apples 2, peeled, sliced and cored

Butter, 1 knob

Fruit sugar, 1 tsp

Cinnamon, a tiny sprinkle

HEAT a medium sized frying pan to melt knob of butter.

ADD apples and fruit sugar and cook for five minutes to caramelise, stirring occasionally.
SPRINKLE over some cinnamon sparingly.

LOVINGLY serve in the best way you know how and enjoy the simple things in life, there are the best.