September seasonal update
September marks the handover between summer and autumn.
Grouse is joined by partridge, native oysters return to the slab, and the first Cox apples, plums and ceps start to make their case for the menu.
September is the month the kitchen calendar properly turns.
The last of summer's courgettes, beans and sweetcorn are still around, but they are sharing space with early apples, pears, plums and figs, and the first parsnips and swedes of the new root season.
Partridge season opens on September 1, native oyster season reopens the same day, and ceps and other wild mushrooms start showing up at their best.
It is a month for chefs to hold onto summer's brightness while building in the heartier flavours autumn asks for, and one of the best times of year to get preserving, pickling and fermenting what is still around before it goes.
We have collaborated with six exceptional chefs to bring you fresh seasonal ideas and recipes as inspiration for your menus this month, alongside a selection of relevant recipes and videos from The Staff Canteen archive.
Special thanks this month to Lloyd Morse (The Palmerston), Charlie Crote (Constance), Connor Wilson (The Kirkstyle Inn), Matthew Barker (The Westwood), Denis Calmis (Sova Notting Hill) and Jason Wright (Lost Shore Surf Resort) for their recipe contributions, and we also have some other recipes from the archives to share again.
Hero produce – September 2026
- Partridge – The season opens on September 1, adding a second wild bird to the game menu alongside grouse.
- Native oysters – Season reopens on September 1, perfect for a cold start to the menu.
- Cox apples – Sweet and aromatic, and just as good raw as they are baked.
- Plums – Short season, big flavour, and ideal for both baking and preserving.
- Ceps – The top-tier wild mushroom of the autumn forage, best simply sautéed or folded through a risotto.
- Butternut squash – A versatile autumn staple, equally at home roasted, pureed or as a table side.
- Grouse – Still in season and now sharing the game menu with partridge.
Game in September
- In season: partridge, grouse, rabbit, pigeon, duck
English partridge shooting opens on September 1, giving chefs a second wild bird to work with alongside grouse, which continues through the autumn.
Partridge is smaller and more delicate than grouse, with a milder flavour that takes well to classic pairings such as celeriac, cabbage and bread sauce, and it tends to be more affordable too, making it an easier bird to run as a regular special rather than a one-off.
Recipe: Grouse, mushroom, pickled blackberry and bread sauce, by Connor Wilson, head chef at The Kirkstyle Inn & Sportsman's Rest, Slaggyford, Northumberland.
Connor Wilson builds a proper Scottish game feast around a roasted grouse crown, with a faggot of leg meat wrapped in caul fat, a deeply reduced red wine and port sauce, fondant potatoes, pickled blackberries and sautéed wild mushrooms alongside the bird.
UK seafood in September
Native oyster season reopens on September 1 and runs through to April, the traditional “months with an R in them,” and chefs and shellfish merchants alike treat the first of the season as a real calendar moment.
Plaice, turbot, hake and gurnard round out a strong month for UK seafood, sitting comfortably alongside the last of the season's crab and lobster.
Recipe: Roasted plaice, lemon brown butter, cavolo nero pesto and butternut squash, by Matthew Barker, chef at The Westwood, Beverley, East Yorkshire.
A dish built for sharing, with a 600-800g plaice recommended for two, each element adding its own layer of texture and flavour to a simple roasted fish.
Seasonal fruit & vegetables
Cox apples, conference pears, plums, figs and butternut squash lead September's produce, alongside the last of the courgettes, beans and sweetcorn and the first parsnips and swedes of the new root season.
Recipes:
- Apple salad, chicory, walnuts and pecorino, by Lloyd Morse, chef patron of The Palmerston, Edinburgh. Crisp baby gem and chicory meet sweet-sharp gala apple and toasted walnuts in a salad built around a slow-cooked shallot dressing, with a grating of pecorino giving the dish a salty edge against the sharpness of the dressing.
- Roast butternut squash, brie, truffle and candied pecan, by Jason Wright, head of food and beverage at Lost Shore Surf Resort, Edinburgh. Soft roast squash, crisped sage, molten brie and candied pecan, finished with toasted brioche and a drizzle of truffle oil. Protein mains don't always need to steal the show, and this vegetarian dish proves it.
Seasonal cheese & dairy
September's cheese board starts leaning heavier, with stilton, red Leicester and aged cheddar all worth a place on the menu.
Sharp, salty cheeses like pecorino and young ewe's milk varieties pair well with the sweetness of the month's apples and pears, the same principle behind Lloyd Morse's apple, chicory and pecorino salad above.
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Wild & foraged ingredients
- In season: ceps, chanterelles, rosehips, elderberries, sloes
Ceps are the standout of September's forage, prized for their firm texture and nutty flavour, and good simply sautéed in butter or folded through a risotto.
Connor Wilson's grouse dish above puts sautéed wild mushrooms alongside the bird, a straightforward way to bring the forage onto a game plate. Rosehips, elderberries and sloes are all worth gathering now too, ahead of the preserving season proper.
Preservation ideas
- Apple compote
- Sloe gin
- Pickled wild mushroom
- Plum and damson jam
- Pear chutney
- Fermented vegetables
September is one of the best months of the year to get ahead on preserving, with plums, damsons, apples and the first sloes all worth putting up while they are cheap and plentiful.
Baking & desserts with seasonal fruit
September's fruit, apples, pears and plums in particular, does most of the work in a dessert on its own, needing little more than a good pastry, a spiced syrup or a simple almond sponge to bring it together.
Recipes:
- Beignets, roast apples and cream, by Lloyd Morse, chef patron of The Palmerston, Edinburgh. A playful take on pets de nonne, golden choux pastry fritters dusted with icing sugar and served with caramelised royal gala apples, caramel sauce and sweetened whipped cream.
- Mead poached pear and vanilla syllabub, by Charlie Crote, head chef at Constance, Fulham Pier, London. Pears are gently poached in mead with star anise, fennel and coriander seed, served with a silky vanilla syllabub and finished with olive oil, a dessert that leans into historic regional flavours while feeling entirely at home on a modern menu.
- Rustic plum and almond pie, by Denis Calmis, brand chef at Sova Notting Hill, London. A straightforward bake that lets the season's plums do the talking, ground almonds giving the sponge a moist, dense texture while the fruit caramelises gently, good as a dessert with crème fraîche or an afternoon treat on its own.
September market insight
- Native oysters command a premium early in the season, before supply settles.
- Partridge is more affordable than grouse, making it an easier bird to run as a regular special.
- Cox apples and plums are in good supply and cheap, worth getting ahead on with preserving.
- Ceps are at their best this month, but availability can swing week to week depending on rainfall.
Are you using any seasonal ingredients in your menus this month?
Upload your pics and recipes to our website, tag us on Instagram @thestaffcanteen, or email recipes to tom@thestaffcanteen.com for a chance to be featured in our next seasonal update!
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