Autumn

This delicious cream-cheese pastry is a key component in my small campaign to persuade people to make pastry rather than buy it. Make it at least 2 hours before you intend to use it. It’s easy to make, easy to handle and beautifully flaky despite being made in a food processor. It is also very versatile and works with sweet or savoury fillings. The success of these tartlets depends upon using apple purée that is not too sweet and a sharp, fruity jam. With these in place the combination of textures and flavours ensures a small but memorable baking triumph. Photograph by Mike Rooke.

I love feijoas and have great childhood memories of sitting with my brother under our old feijoa hedge, gorging ourselves on the tart, slightly gritty fruit. Usually we ended up in a throwing war with the rotten and eaten ones, all in good fun. My kids and I have been resourceful over the last few autumns and we’ve squirrelled away many a bag of feijoa pulp to use as a surprise ingredient later in the year when the taste of feijoas has faded from memory. These simple, little, muffin-shaped pies are great as a winter dessert with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Photograph by Jani Shepherd and styling by Fiona Hugues – Gatherum Collectif.

A roly-poly is English dish traditionally made with jam. For this seasonal spin on an old favourite, pastry is spread with feijoa pulp and maple syrup, then baked until golden. Photograph by Todd Eyre.

Nuts bring a wide array of nutty, toasty and sweet flavours to dishes – think the sweet butteriness of pine nuts, the milky sweetness of fresh almonds, and the toasty coffee-like taste of roasted hazelnuts.

This delicious pudding mixes a sweet, oozing caramel sauce with crunchy pecans and chewy dates.

This sweet, moist pudding is absolutely divine served warm, drizzled with rich golden syrup and a spoonful of creamy ice-cream.