Season of Mists and Mellow Fruitfullness

It feels like the end of the autumn and the start of winter today, a deep set damp chilly cool has arrived, pressed down by woolly grey clouds. It's odd because it seemed quite mild first thing this morning but after peeling off all the layers as I arrived in this office this morning I've been piling them back on again.

Happily, the Birmingham farmers' market comes every other Wednesday come rain or shine and most of the market was here today so a group of us went for a stroll to find some lunch.

I had a delicious 'home made meatballs with parmesan and red pepper pesto in ciabatta' that was warm and really filling and just perfect for today's weather. We contemplated Ostrich burgers but the queue was a bit on the long side so instead we have the option of Ostrich or Kangaroo burgers for supper and my friend J is going to have Ostrich Spaghetti.



My favourite though is the pick'n'mix fruit stall with wonderful varieties of apples and pears. I went for a 'one of each' approach, although clearly not all of them made it home.



The whole stall has a wonderful cidery smell but today as well as the apple and pear scents there was something different and coming round the corner I found the source:



Quinces.



Never one to pass up on the opportunity for trying something new (see Kangaroo burgers above, currently grilling in the oven) I was clearly a willing victim to the stallholder who did me a deal for 2 lb of quinces and a recipe for jelly. The fragrance is new and wonderful and the fruit have been played with around the office as we all had a sniff and stroked away the little grey furry bits that remain.

If I get the chance then I know what I'm cooking as soon as I escape from this tangled web of threads and beads. I'm either going to end up with a teaspoon of jelly or it'll be Christmas presents for everyone.