Each season at Borough Market makes itself felt in different ways: in winter there’s the cold that puts a briskness into every shopper’s step; spring heralds the joy – and relief – of extending daylight; summer’s heat fills the market stalls with the smells of ripe fruits; and in the autumn what you notice are the colours. The lush purples, oranges, greens and reds of the fruits and vegetables that echo the season’s leaves on the ground and tell us we’re entering the time for warming, comforting and completely delicious cooking.
It’s the pumpkins I notice first. You can’t help it. The veg stalls pile them up high, and not just the big orange ones for carving with. There are pumpkins and other squashes of so many varieties, colours, sizes – and uses. Most striking of all is the impressively large Crown Prince, which surprises with is pale blue-green skin, but when cut open reveals the deepest orange flesh. Slice it up and roast skin-on with perhaps a gentle pouring of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a dusting of ground cinnamon.
