Cooking the Seasons: Forage and glean with Suffolk’s Waste Not Rowen

Best known to his followers as Waste Not Rowen, Rowen Halstead’s 12 years as a top-flight chef - which saw him witness “shocking waste” across the industry - inspired him to become a fulltime food sustainability advocate. In his quarterly column, Rowen, who’s based in Bury St Edmunds, celebrates East Anglia’s finest seasonal produce

As the nights draw in and the temperature begins to evidently fall again, we swap the summer shorts for cosy blankets, the refreshing gazpacho for the comfort of a stew. It’s the time of year to celebrate the slower things; those that take a little longer to grow, those that take a little longer to cook, and all those that we should take a little longer to appreciate.

Discovering truly seasonal autumnal produce can be a puzzle, with supermarkets desperately clutching onto the last of the summer fruits and vegetables. But there is one undeniable sign of the season change — no, not pumpkin spiced lattes’ return — but actual pumpkins, as they begin to make their timely appearance.

Orange is the colour of October. The tragedy of it all, though, is that pumpkins are swept up in the wave that is Halloween and lost at sea for what they are actually designed for — food. The sweet, nutty aroma of roasted pumpkin is an underrated marvel. Try immersing them in a fragrant coconut curry, a rich revitalising stew, or tantalisingly tasteful tagine. I won’t embarrass myself with the suggestion of pumpkin pie, with the humble pecan pie being the obvious true champion.

Look for the Crown Prince pumpkin variety that hides a handsome flavour under its light blue skin. In true ‘waste not’ fashion, don’t let the seeds go to waste either: toast them in the oven for a crunchy snack or, for those valiant veg-patch growers, air-dry them and grow again next summer.

Following on from what we can grow, many of you might be becoming inundated with a bountiful harvest of quinces and pears. I know we all love quince chutney with some charmingly chalky cheddar, but sometimes the bags full of fresh quinces are too much for any one family to relish.

Another tasty way to make a dent in your stockpile is to make quince or pear tarte tatin. Traditionally made with apples, the subtly spiced caramel pastry pairs perfectly, if I dare say better, with the slightly sour quince. If you’re looking for a more savoury use for your quinces and pears, try slow-roasting them with a slab of pork belly drenched in cider and finished with a generous spoonful of wholegrain mustard.

As wonderful as all these apples, pears and quinces are this time of year, there is a slightly more tragic story behind the scenes at farms. Aesthetically imperfect, yet perfectly edible, fruit and vegetables are constantly rejected from supermarkets - 2/5 of all fruit and vegetables, in fact - and therefore regularly left to waste and rot at the source. To do our part in reducing this waste in autumn, you can get involved in the ancient act of gleaning.

Still Good Foods and The Gleaning Network are always on the lookout for volunteers to salvage surplus food that can still be put to good use. As stated on The Gleaning Network’s website: “Gleaning offers an opportunity for straightforward environmental and social action – food waste on farms is reduced, the complexity of UK food and farming is better understood, communities engage directly in social action, and marginalised communities are able to access more fresh fruit and vegetables.”

Seasonal eating isn’t just about the fruits and vegetables. Almost everything we eat has ‘a season’ and, as the nights close in, some of the heartiest food you can get your hands on is the wildest of all — game. You can’t walk around a French supermarket without encountering their impressive meat counters and the alien form of a stripped rabbit. Yet in England, home of some of the greatest wild game on the planet, most would be foreign to the concept of cooking with a fallow deer, squab or rabbit.

Rich in flavour, packed with nutrients, and highly sustainable, I urge you all this autumn to switch your beef for venison, or chicken for pheasant. Your local butcher will be able to aid you, or if you live in the countryside, you might be able to track down a local hunting party and buy direct from them.

With every season change it’s all about the simple, sustainable swaps that can make a big difference. From utilising leftover pumpkins to gleaning farms, or even just enjoying a slow-cooked venison stew and dumplings, there’s room all around to embrace what autumn has to offer.

Follow @wastenotrowen for more information, advice and recipe inspiration.