The Autumn Reset
A change of season deserves to be marked. And there is no ignoring autumn. Outside, the wind is blowing, the colours are changing and there’s that sweet smell of rain on fallen leaves, with the first real chill in the air. Even inside, we notice the light changing and hear the weather moving outside. Autumn is a good excuse to refresh things, but not in the sense of a great clear out or a list of things that need doing. It’s about noticing the season and enjoying what comes with it.
Refresh yourself
Autumn calls for being kind to yourself. This is the season for finding a new drink to love, whether that’s a comforting camomile tea, something fragrant or a little more statement, maybe one of the increasingly good non alcoholic aperitifs. There are plenty of grown up options that make an evening drink feel like an occasion. It’s also a good time to change up your skincare, bring out the indulgent moisturisers. Embrace the warmer, comfier aspects of clothing. Take joy in pulling your boots out again, finding your velvet and rediscovering the clothes that you love to wear when the temperature drops. Think about the drama of the season as well. Gold, deep berry, burgundy and rich jewel tones work so well with the autumn colours outside. This is the season for a statement earring, a beautiful velvet jacket or anything else that feels slightly more glamorous than the occasion requires.
Refresh your house
As we spend more time inside in the evenings, home starts to feel different too. Bring out the cosy blankets and the hot water bottle. Light the candles and pay attention to where the lamps fall as the afternoons get darker. Put candles somewhere you’ll actually see them, rather than keeping them tucked away for a special occasion. Home fragrance can change with the season as well. Woody, smoky and spiced scents feel made for autumn, whether that means a new diffuser, a candle or simply switching the fragrance you already use. The darker mornings and early evenings can take some getting used to, but they also give us an excuse to make home feel especially inviting. Slower mornings, lamps on earlier, a blanket over the sofa, a book left beside the bed. The things that make settling in feel good. And autumn doesn’t have to stay outside. Bring in a few berries, conkers or fallen leaves and put them in a little bowl on the table. It doesn’t need to be elaborate.
Embrace tradition
Autumn and harvest have been celebrated for hundreds of years, marking the changing seasons and the changing light. Harvest is about celebrating what the earth has given us: gathering, preserving, baking and sharing food. Autumn lends itself to generosity. It’s a wonderful time of year to have people over. Soup, good bread, cheese and baked apples make a very good autumn supper, and there’s no need to wait for a particular occasion. There are plenty of old traditions worth bringing back, too. Corn dolls have been made for centuries, with different versions found across different regions. Traditionally made from the last sheath of corn, to keep the spirit safe over winter by bringing it into the home, making one is a lovely way to bring a little of that history into the home, and is a great conversation piece on a mantelpiece or table. Michaelmas falls on 29 September and traditionally marked the end of harvest. In England, roast goose became associated with the feast, which makes a wonderful excuse for a proper autumn dinner. Enjoy some hazelnuts which are abundant at this time of year. Roast them, bake them into a cake, scatter them over porridge or eat them with apples and cheese. And then there are apples, perhaps the most classic autumn fruit. Crumble, cake, baked apples, pressing, spiced apple drinks: this is the time to make the most of them.
Get outside
Autumn is one of the most dramatic times of year for nature. The weather can be harsher and more unpredictable, but there’s something incredible about wild unpredictable days outside when you’re prepared for it. This is the season for taking a thermos on an autumn picnic, filling it with hot soup or tea and finding somewhere to sit among the changing trees. An early morning walk can be as simple as heading out close to home and noticing the first real chill in the air, the leaves changing colour and the sound of the wind. Collect conkers. Walk through the woods. Wrap yourself in a blanket and sit outside with a hot drink when the weather allows. Go apple picking or find a good farm shop selling the best of the season. You don’t need sunshine to enjoy being outside in autumn. Sometimes the wild, windy days are the most memorable.
Make it yours
However you choose to mark the season, make it joyful. Bake an apple cake. Make soup for friends. Fill the house with autumn colours. Bring home something beautiful from a farm shop. Try a new recipe with squash, pears, figs or hazelnuts. Autumn has its own pleasures, its own colours, its own food and its own rituals. Put the lamps on early, pull on the boots, light the candles and make the most of it.
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