Cosy September Days in England | Apple Cake, Country Walk & Easy Autumn Dinner

September is settling gently over our English home, bringing soft grey mornings, a little rain and the comforting return of apple season.

In this cosy autumn slow living vlog, we begin making a few small changes to our en-suite bathroom before taking a peaceful evening walk through Upper Clatford — a storybook Hampshire village filled with thatched cottages and surrounded by beautiful English countryside.

The following morning begins quietly at half past six, with glowing lamps, a simple breakfast of figs, cottage cheese and homemade granola, a little pantry organisation and precious cuddles with Alma before leaving for work.

I also prepare a traditional Fen Country Apple Cake, first written down in 1847 by Elizabeth Garden of Redisham Hall in Suffolk. Later, as everyone arrives home, I make an easy sausage, apple and sweet potato traybake — a simple family dinner for busy autumn evenings.


FEN COUNTRY APPLE CAKE

For my all-butter shortcrust pastry:

• 225 g plain flour
• 100 g chilled butter
• ½ tsp salt if using salted butter, or 1 tsp if using unsalted butter
• 2–3 tbsp ice-cold water

For the filling:

• 700 g Bramley apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 25 g butter
• 50 g granulated sugar
• 2 rounded tbsp semolina
• 25 g currants
• 3 tbsp black treacle
• Beaten egg or milk, to glaze

If Bramley apples are unavailable, you can use Granny Smith or Golden Delicious apples.

Bake at 220°C / 200°C fan for approximately 25 minutes, until golden.

SAUSAGE, APPLE & SWEET POTATO TRAYBAKE

The quantities can easily be adapted depending on how many people you are feeding.

• 1 kg potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 1–2 sweet potatoes, cut into bite-sized chunks
• 2 red onions, cut into wedges
• A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 8 large fresh sausages
• 220 ml chicken stock
• 2 tbsp mustard
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 apple, cored and cut into chunks
• A few fresh sage leaves, or dried sage

Roast the potatoes, sweet potatoes and onions at 200°C for 10 minutes. Add the sausages and cook for 20 minutes.

Mix the chicken stock, mustard and honey, pour over the sausages and return to the oven for a further 30 minutes. Add the apple and chopped sage for the final 10 minutes, or until the apple is tender and the sausages are completely cooked through.

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