4 three-course menus for October

Thea Everett

Deputy editor (audiences) Thea loves to be in the kitchen and has a particular interest in cooking on a budget and deep frying. She thinks Sri Lankan and Indian food is the food of the gods. She looks after the brand’s social channels and newsletter – and contributes features and recipes.

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October means autumn proper, so Sunday roasts, affordable figs (at last), squash, pears and apples are all on the menu. And of course there’s an abundance of sweet treats for that ever-popular thrill-filled day: Halloween.

So, we’ve created seasonal menus to suit every occasion. What better than menu planning to get you well and truly in the mood for the season? Find a dinner menu for both meat-eaters and vegetarians, a roast dinner with a difference and a Halloween-inspired feast.

The decadent dinner menu

Okay, so this one is not for the faint hearted. One for the butter lovers – this knockout three-course feast is the dinner you deserve. For starters, serve a satisfying French onion soup, rich with white wine, beef stock, and thyme. It’s a flavourful joy of a dish that isn’t going to cost the earth to make. Then, with game season upon us, you can’t beat a rich, slow-cooked venison ragù clinging on to fresh tagliatelle pasta and showered in parmesan. It’s elegant and hearty at once, not an easy feat. Finish with a sticky tarte tatin, topped with scoops of crème normande.

The knockout (vegetarian) dinner menu

Colder nights call for a menu that doesn’t cut corners when it comes to comfort. Start with our spinach and ricotta rolls which come served with an autumn fruit ketchup. Then, for main course, it’s cauliflower cheese – but not as you know it. A whole-baked cauliflower is nestled in a mix of nutty pearl barley, mushrooms and cream and then topped with a thick layer of melted cheddar. Cauliflower never looked so good. A slice of fig frangipane tart will ensure you end the meal on a high.

The Sunday roast (with a difference)

This isn’t your typical roast dinner, but it is one that you have got to try. Chestnut and leek stuffed chicken supremes, served on a bed of greens, cooked in double cream and chestnut purée. It’s a traybake like no other and best served with our ultimate potato dauphinoise. Finish everything with a comforting dessert – Michel Roux Jr’s poached pears with chocolate and almond sauce. We love it for being inexpensive, chic and far simpler to make than it looks. Michel has provided all the tips you need for success – just check out the FAQs in the recipe. Sunday can’t come quickly enough…

The Halloween special

If you’re hosting a Halloween-themed event, this menu brings all the spooky sustenance you need for your celebrations. To start, nibble on menacing cheese biscuit skulls served with a bloody homemade tomato sauce. Naturally, the main has got to include pumpkin, so use one to make this vibrant chicken and sage traybake. For dessert, it’s a fiendishly good sticky toffee pudding made even more impressive by a topping of homemade toffee apples. We’ve got plenty more ghoulish treats where that came from, including a ghost-topped peanut butter chocolate cake, creepy cookies and spider cookies. See all of our halloween recipes.

Keep an eye our for next month’s November recipes, coming soon…