Autumn 2026

There is a particular turning point in late September when the air across the West Country sharpens. The morning mist lingers a little longer on the fields, the apple harvest gathers pace in Somerset orchards, and the instinct to turn inward - toward firelight, hot chocolates and simmering pots - takes hold. The apples have been falling from our trees at a terrific rate over the past month, many near-missing the hungry birds waiting below. I keep willing my new friend, the partridge, to watch out!

In hospitality, autumn is the season where warmth stops being an abstract idea and becomes physical. It is woodsmoke catching your nose as you arrive, heavy velvet curtains drawn just enough to let the moon peek through, and the wonderful comfort of cosy dining rooms (preferably with a log fire) where you want time to slow right down.

At home it's time to reconsider our surroundings: lamps lit an hour earlier, woollen blankets down from the cupboard, and pleasure taken in lighting a new candle.

Below is our soundtrack for this quarter - acoustic, mellow folk and reflective instrumental pieces, gathered for autumn walks, early evenings and long suppers around the table.