I went to Box Hill for a bit of a sunny Autumnal ramble.
Box Hill shot to international fame in the 2012 Olympics as it was the stage for the cycling event. It left something of a cycling legacy to Box Hill, with bike enthusiasts regularly making their way up and round the challenging circuit. Even Boris Johnson cycled through Box Hill for the Ride London event last year! Although sadly unicycle sightings are scarce.
I went to Winkworth Arboretum in Godalming for a jaunty jaunt to see the glorious changing colour of the pullulating trees in crisp Autumn sunshine (if you think that’s an exhausting sentence, then think of it as foreshadowing the photographic action in this blogpost). It’s an absolutely beautiful place to visit. At 110 acres, you will walk far amongst the trees that were thoughtfully planted to paint a nourishing vista, with vibrant ambers in between brilliant copper foliage.
I wouldn’t be doing my job properly if I didn’t mention Surrey’s most famous fireworks display: The Brockham Bonfire extravaganza.
I love living in Surrey. Historic villages interspersed with pockets of verdant countryside. Houses huddled around village greens. Busy cobbled high streets with hills rolling in the background. The best of town and country. Over and over.
One of the brightest jewels in Surrey’s crown is Shere, near Guildford. Every corner is beautiful.
Your new favourite Autumnal dessert is here.
It’s a delicious double whammy of chocolate: the most perfect chocolate sponge covered in a silky creamy chocolate sauce. You make the sponge like a tray bake and watch it rise (cake rising in the oven is my favourite show) as it becomes a super springy chocolate cake with an air-whipped, spongey centre. So it’s incredibly light, yet naughtily rich. Super simple and divinely decadent.
If you bake this for friends, pour the chocolate sauce into a jug so everyone can serve their own. A nostalgic nod to childhood days of sponge pudding and custard served at indoor teddy-bear picnics.
Just get ready to divulge the recipe afterwards! (To teddy bears or friends…)
MmmmlettheCLATTERINGofplatesprovidethemusic.
This pasta bake needs little introduction. It’s best described as the most delicious and nutritious macaroni cheese you’ll ever eat. A sort of macaroni cheese-verde. I use elicoidali pasta shapes, which are like a giant version of macaroni, making every mouthful extremely satisfying and substantial, covered in a thick homemade cheese sauce with finely chopped bacon, leeks and spinach. It’s very straightforward and wonderfully indulgent, perfect for an Autumn dinner.