Bonjour chers lecteurs! As I am writing these lines the wind and rain are raging against the windows of my tiny home office and banging so loudly on our flat roof I can barely hear myself type. Now there are two ways to face this situation. 1. Feel as miserable as these clouds pouring over our head (which I briefly considered two days ago after my umbrella folded backward with the wind and got stuck into an old lady’s hair), or 2. embrace fast coming Winter and get into hot wine, yummy soups and the festive spirit faster than those nasty raindrops can get to our underwear. I chose option number two and seized the opportunity we had friends over last weekend to bake my first christmassy cake, a gorgeous pain d’épices richly spiced with heaps of cinnamon, cloves, anis seeds and ginger. I was tempted to serve it to the tune of my favourite seasonal CD “Christmas with the Rat Pack“but prudently refrained from doing so after noticing big O’s eyes rolling at the mere suggestion of it. After six Decembers of Sinatra and his gang blasting “Rudolph the Reindeer” non-stop in our house, Olivier kind of moved on while I got stuck in the delightful corniness of this album, the suave voices, bell ringing sounds and their immediate feel good effect. I intend to have these intense sing along moments with Frank soon enough again, but in the interest of our marriage I thought I might be better holding off a couple more weeks… Now everyone, get ready for this week’s simple and warming soups, a gorgeous pain d’épices recipe and a quick, colourful and delicious edible building work. Don’t forget to check out the list of seasonal ingredients to inspire your shopping and have a read at the section on beef before buying our next roast. Have a great fortnight and see you in two weeks! Anne-Laure xx

Bonjour tout le monde! As you may know, I am currently in the middle of a big career change and in search of my dream food job. As it turns out, this quest is proving to be unusually eventful. After an interview that ended with a sprained wrist, I have to report the last one I went to, which was for an opportunity that pretty much ticks all the boxes on my wish list, also took an odd turn of events. In the days leading up to it I developed a strange eye allergy evolving into scarily puffed up eyes and eyebrows. By Monday, my mysterious ailment was thankfully kept in check with antihistamines and I went to the interview looking like my usual cheerful self. In an unfortunate twist however, the antihistamine taken in the morning appeared to wear off right in the middle of the meeting, and I worryingly started feeling my eyelids swell again. Fearing my ineluctable metamorphosis into a puffed up Halloween toad might somewhat distract the two lovely ladies I was facing from my fascinating qualities, I acknowledged the strange phenomenon. They very kindly assured me I still looked “very normal” – which got me even more alarmed – and I managed to finish the interview, struggling against the mortifying thought my fast inflating eyes were likely to be the one differentiating point they would remember me most for. The good news is it wasn’t until I took the tube back home that the swelling got the best of my looks, allowing me to navigate within a wonderfully cosy bubble of empty seats in a crowded wagon. You will be pleased to hear I am now back in tip-top shape although I am still to hear on the outcome of this interview… With Halloween in a couple of days though my thoughts have been kept busy with plenty of pumpkin cooking, and I am sharing with you this week some of the fruits of my loving labour. Try urgently the all-time seasonal classic in our household, my gorgeous fruity pumpkin soup. Also do take advantage of a grey afternoon to get your hands covered in flour, enjoy a pumpkin gnocchi making session and finish with a salted butter caramel tatin to celebrate the recently passed Apple day. Lastly, don’t miss the delightful, quick and cheap açorda recipe, a culinary high for your workweek. Enjoy the recipes and tips mes chéris and look out for the next TD issue on Thursday 10 Nov. Oh, and of course, Happy Halloween!! Anne-Laure x

Hello mes chéris, I hope you are well! As for me I am still on the job hunting trail, which has proven to be quite eventful as of late. Ten days ago I was hurrying to a meeting with a headhunter in rainy London and failed to notice a plastic bag ominously laying straight across my path. One energetic step on it was enough to send me flying, feet upward, head backward (imagine Scooby-Doo style arm and leg waving), followed by a splashing landing on my hand right in the middle of a big, deep puddle. A visit to A&E and several hours later, I was told I had a bad wrist sprain and sent home with a splint – on my chopping hand of course – and in a most execrable mood. Poor big O. has since stoically endured my non-stop moaning while becoming the single chore executer and onion chopper of the house. Thank God this week is chocolate week so my self-pitying and Olivier’s battered ears have found solace in unfettered consumption of the dark stuff. Check out this website to find out about chocolate events near you or just use this week as an excuse to lash out on all things chocolaty , including my uber chocolate cake baked with seasonal pears for a most luscious and forgivable caloric explosion. The seasonal star of this week is parsnip and I have two lovely workweek recipes that make the best of its deliciously sweet and fast-cooking flesh. Also do try the Autumnal wild mushroom and stilton velouté, which blankets the palate so beautifully and works wonders with sweet onion confit. I hope you enjoy the recipes and tips this week and I wish you all an accident-free and happy cooking fortnight. The next issue of TD will be sent on 28 October with plenty of mouth-watering pumpkin recipes, so sharpen your knife! A bientot, Anne-Laure x