My autumn of comfort TV and comfort food

After a summer spent travelling here, there and everywhere, I am welcoming more time at home and bingeable telly with open arms. And, like a lot of the nation, I am obsessed with this season’s Celebrity Traitors. It is my achilles heel; so much so that, earlier this year, I politely declined an invite to a hot industry party because it clashed with the final, and there is no amount of free champagne or hobnobbing that would’ve got me off my sofa. The beauty of such shows is that they are on early enough to make an evening of it. Strictly has become our Saturday night family ritual, while my eldest will usually join us for Tuesday nights watching Bake Off. There are bowls of food, eaten by the spoonful, mugs of tea and endless biscuits. It’s a small, cosy ritual that makes the passing of summer feel a little less bleak.

For ease, I try to live by the rule of one meal for everyone. On nights when we eat on the sofa, I like to make something in advance that the girls can eat after school and that we can return to later on. Nigella Lawson’s chicken barley, for instance, is a firm favourite and, importantly, if a little less glamorously, it reheats well. The same goes for Laura Goodman’s mac’n’cheese, a surefire hit and a fixture in our house.

Essentially it’s all about batch cooking, comfort and being prepared. I also love to make big pots of congee and dal, which I freeze in portions for a rainy day. Both are perfect for feeding a range of appetites, too, with toppings and accompaniments added to suit. Ravinder Bhogal’s seasonal pumpkin and miso variation is firmly on my to-make list, as is pe hin, a Burmese dal recipe from Amy and Emily Chung.

Sofa food isn’t all savoury, of course. If you’ve ever watched Bake Off, you’ll know that doing so without a sweet treat to hand is a form of torture. A mug of tea and a plate of biscuits will usually do that trick, particularly if those biscuits are homemade. Current favourites in our house are Ana Ortiz’s alfajores de dulce de leche and Rebecca Bishop’s brown butter nutmeg shortbread. If something more substantial is required – because, let’s be honest, sometimes only a warming bowl of pudding will do – my first port of call is Felicity Cloake’s sticky toffee pudding (pictured top) with her proper custard on the side, naturally. And, being autumn, I’m also a sucker for Nigel Slater’s apple and blackberry crumble, ideally with more of that custard, too. Nothing says, “hello, autumn”, like a hedgerow-inspired crumble after all.

A slice of Jamaica | I was recently lucky enough to be on the receiving end of one of Doreen’s homemade Jamaican rum cakes, and I cannot stop thinking about it. I’m looking for any opportunity I can to send one as a gift. You can select a variety of shapes and sizes, but I do think the heart one is particularly endearing, as well as a gorgeous sentiment. Set up by Jackie Christian, the recipe was passed down to her from her Jamaican-born mum, Doreen. It’s a beautiful story and a stunning gift, and I’m already planning on buying myself another.

Malt loaf magic | Friend and fellow food writer Nicola Miller recently introduced me to Wooster’s Bakery, a 30-plus-year-old family business that takes bread and baking seriously. Based in Suffolk, it’s not somewhere I can frequent regularly, but luckily for those of us who aren’t local, you can order their incredible malt loaf online. Mail-a-malt is divine: a delicious, sticky, plump and rich loaf that comes in a glorious circular box.

Sweet innovation | Hello, my name is Georgina Hayden and I am a full-blown chocoholic. And, fortunately for me, one of my favourite pastry chefs, Philip Khoury, has created an online shop where his chocolate creations can be enjoyed by everyone. They are all outstanding, but his latest ingenious creation may be my favourite to date: namely, fig chocolate. Made in the style of white chocolate, it’s packed with fresh figs, fig leaves and a little almond. Elegant yet playful, it feels like a more grown-up chocolate orange. Just don’t wait until Christmas.

Indian Racer Cafe, Birmingham | From its humble beginnings behind a pub curtain to a 65-cover restaurant, this Birmingham cult favourite serves playful and potent cocktails. The dahi puri comes generously filled, Grace Dent says that makes eating it in one a feel like a “fine line between extreme pleasure and being legally waterboarded”. Read the full review here.