Dinner ideas, an evening meal for the Long Table.

Westbrook Institute · Gathering Studies · Living Studies The Art of Living Well

There is a particular kind of evening that belongs to autumn.

The light disappears earlier. The windows become dark mirrors. Someone lights the lamps, another brings in the last flowers from the garden and supper is allowed to take its time.

This is the meal we would serve at Westbrook House in October: generous, warming and elegant, built around the things the season gives us.

THE MENU

To Begin

Warm Roasted Squash Soup
with sage, nutmeg & toasted hazelnuts

The Supper

Cider Braised Chicken with Apples & Thyme
with roasted carrots and onions

At the Table

Creamy Mashed Potatoes
with butter & chives

Roasted Autumn Greens
with garlic & lemon

Something Sweet

Warm Apple & Blackberry Crumble
with vanilla custard

To Drink

Warm Spiced Apple & Ginger

The combination of pork/chicken, apple, squash and sage is particularly appropriate to the season; British autumn recipes commonly pair these ingredients, while apples, squash, leeks, root vegetables and blackberries are all characteristic autumn produce in the UK.

I. THE SOUP

Roasted Squash, Sage & Hazelnut Soup

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 1 large butternut squash

• 2 onions

• 3 garlic cloves

• 2 tbsp olive oil

• 25g butter

• 750ml vegetable or chicken stock

• 100ml double cream

• ½ tsp grated nutmeg

• 8-10 fresh sage leaves

• 50g toasted hazelnuts

• Salt & freshly ground black pepper

Method

Heat the oven to 200°C / 180°C fan.

Peel and cube the squash. Place it in a roasting tray with the onions, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Roast for approximately 35-40 minutes, until soft and caramelised at the edges.

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and add the sage leaves. Cook gently until fragrant.

Add the roasted vegetables and stock. Simmer for 10 minutes, then blend until completely smooth.

Stir through the cream and nutmeg.

Serve in warm bowls with a little cream, a few crispy sage leaves and toasted hazelnuts scattered over the top.

Westbrook Observation:
 Soup should arrive at the table before everyone has quite finished talking.

II. THE MAIN SUPPER

Cider Braised Chicken with Apples & Thyme

This is the centre of the meal,  comforting without being heavy and particularly suited to a long table shared with friends.

Serves 6

Ingredients

• 6 chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on

• 3 eating apples

• 2 onions

• 3 garlic cloves

• 300ml dry cider

• 250ml chicken stock

• 2 tsp Dijon mustard

• 6 sprigs fresh thyme

• 1 tbsp plain flour

• 30g butter

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• Salt & black pepper

Method

Season the chicken generously.

Heat the olive oil and butter in a large ovenproof casserole.

Place the chicken skin-side down and cook until deeply golden. Turn and brown the other side.

Remove the chicken and set aside.

Add the sliced onions and cook for 5-7 minutes until soft.

Add the garlic and flour and cook for another minute.

Pour in the cider, scraping the bottom of the pan as it bubbles.

Add the stock, mustard and thyme.

Return the chicken to the casserole.

Quarter the apples and tuck them between the chicken pieces.

Cover and place in a 180°C / 160°C fan oven for approximately 35 minutes.

Remove the lid for the final 10 minutes so the chicken skin becomes golden again.

Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning.

Serve directly from the casserole.

The Westbrook way

Don't transfer everything onto a pristine serving platter.

Bring the casserole to the table.

Let people serve themselves.

That is part of the character of a Westbrook supper.

III. THE POTATOES

Butter & Chive Mash

Nothing elaborate.

That's the point.

Ingredients

• 1.2kg floury potatoes

• 75g butter

• 100ml warm milk

• 2 tbsp chopped chives

• Sea salt

• Black pepper

Boil the potatoes until tender.

Drain thoroughly and return them to the warm pan for a minute to remove excess moisture.

Mash with the butter and warm milk.

Fold through the chives.

Season generously.

Serve in a large warm ceramic bowl.

IV. THE GREENS

Roasted Autumn Greens with Garlic & Lemon

Use whatever looks best at the market.

Kale, cavolo nero, cabbage, Brussels sprouts or tenderstem broccoli would all work.

Toss with:

• olive oil

• sliced garlic

• salt

• black pepper

• White wine vinegar

Roast at 200°C / 180°C fan until beginning to char at the edges.

Finish with:

• lemon zest

• a squeeze of lemon juice

• a little grated Parmesan, if desired

The slight bitterness of the greens works beautifully against the sweetness of the apples and squash.

V. THE PUDDING

Warm Apple & Blackberry Crumble

This is where the supper becomes unmistakably autumnal.

Ingredients

Fruit

• 6 cooking apples

• 200g blackberries

• 2 tbsp brown sugar

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• ½ tsp ground nutmeg

• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Crumble

• 150g plain flour

• 100g cold butter

• 75g light brown sugar

• 50g rolled oats

• 50g chopped hazelnuts

• Pinch of salt

Method

Heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan.

Peel and slice the apples.

Place them in a baking dish with the blackberries, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice.

For the crumble, rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs.

Stir through the sugar, oats, hazelnuts and salt.

Scatter generously over the fruit.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, until golden and bubbling around the edges.

Serve with:

Vanilla Custard

Warm, pouring and unapologetically generous.

The custard should be brought to the table in a small jug.

Someone will inevitably ask for more.

Give them more.

VI. SOMETHING TO DRINK

Warm Spiced Apple & Ginger

A non-alcoholic drink that can sit on the table throughout the evening.

Ingredients

• 1 litre cloudy apple juice

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 4 cloves

• 3 slices fresh ginger

• Peel of ½ orange

• 1 tbsp honey

• 1 star anise

Warm everything gently for 15 minutes.

Do not boil.

Strain into a jug and serve warm.

For adults who want something stronger, a little whisky can be added to individual glasses.

VII. THE WESTBROOK TABLE

This meal should not be served on a perfectly styled tablescape.

Instead:

The Long Table

• ivory linen tablecloth

• slightly mismatched ceramic plates

• aged brass candlesticks

• beeswax or ivory candles

• autumn foliage

• small ceramic bowls

• linen napkins

• water glasses

• a large communal casserole

• bread wrapped casually in linen

• a bowl of apples

• handwritten place cards, if desired

The flowers should look as though they have just been gathered from the garden.

Nothing should match perfectly.

The table should look ready to be used.

THE WESTBROOK AUTUMN SUPPER

A good supper does not need to be complicated.

It needs a table.

Something warm in the middle.

Enough for everyone.

And nowhere else that anyone needs to be.

Create a life worth coming home to:

Love Always, Westbrook x

Field Note: Autumn is perhaps the season that best reminds us why we gather: because evenings are shorter, food tastes better when shared and home feels particularly good when someone has left the light on.