At Riverside we are huge believers in barbecuing all year round, why would you limit your barbecue to the summer months when it has so much potential? As the days draw in and the leaves begin to turn nothing could be more satisfying than some delicious autumnal meals hot off the grill. Check out our ideas for some autumnal style comfort food and get inspired.

Appetisers & sides

Maple caramelised squash – Play up to the sweet and seasonal flavour of squash by roasting it in a mixture of maple syrup and oil. Peel, deseed and cut the squash into chunks; combine the maple syrup, olive oil and salt and pepper – you can also add chopped herbs to this dish, sage, rosemary or thyme work best. Toss the squash with the maple syrup mixture and roast it in your barbecue heated to between 180°C to 200°C. After 20 minutes add some chopped pecans or walnuts and toss again. Roast the squash for another 20 minutes until it is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Honeyed walnut salad – This salad is the perfect mix of sweet and salty and features beautifully strong flavours perfect for Autumn. Toast the walnuts on a baking tray with the barbecue pre-heated to 180°C, after five minutes coat the nuts with honey and toast them for a further couple of minutes. Make a dressing with some honey, oil and seasoning and coat your salad leaves, dark leaves with a bold flavour are especially delicious with this salad. Top the salad with the walnuts and blue cheese.

Mains

Smoked macaroni cheese – Add a delicious twist of flavour to this much-loved dish by smoking it! For a gas barbecue, you will need a smoke box, if you have a charcoal grill you can scatter your soaked woodchips directly on the coals. We recommend cherry, apple or pork blend chips for this recipe. Smoke some chopped pancetta or spicy chorizo until it’s cooked through. Meanwhile, boil your pasta until it is al dente and make your cheese sauce – this is the perfect time to utilise your side burner if you have one. For a sinfully creamy and rich cheese sauce try making it with a mixture of crème fraiche and double cream instead of milk. Prep anything else you want to put in your baked dish – we love toasted pine nuts. Combine the pasta, cheese sauce and other ingredients and pour it into an ovenproof dish, top with layers of cheese and breadcrumbs. Your woodchips will likely have stopped smoking by now so top them up before you bake your macaroni. Bake the dish at about 180°C for half an hour to forty minutes or until the top is crispy and golden.

Stuffed mushrooms – Stuffed mushrooms can be a delicious main meal or smaller mushrooms can be used to make this recipe a side dish. Remove the stems of the mushroom and finely chop them. Combine the chopped stems with a drizzle of oil, some garlic puree, cream cheese, parmesan, and either a rub of your choice or some chopped herbs such as thyme. Fill the mushrooms with the mixture, making sure not to overstuff them, and top with some more parmesan. Cook the mushrooms in a grill basket on an indirect heat of around 180°C for 15 minutes.

Venison burgers – Autumn mark the beginning of game season so these venison burgers are the perfect seasonal dish to serve on your barbecue and give traditional game a barbecued twist creating an exciting and interesting meal. First, make your burger patty mixture. Venison is a very lean meat so for a delicious and juicy burger you’ll want to add some extra fat – bacon is an especially good way to do this. Combine the meat with an egg, some salt and pepper, and herbs such as parsley, coriander or chives. Sear the burgers on a direct heat and move to an indirect heat to cook through, make sure to rest the burgers so that the juices can redistribute. As venison has such a robust flavour these burgers can be topped with strong flavours such as blue cheese or rocket.

Desserts

Tarte Tatin – A classic tarte tatin is the perfect Autumnal recipe to cook on your barbecue. The sweet sugar combined with spicy cinnamon and flaky pastry is the perfect comfort food for when the nights start to draw in. For this recipe, we like to use the Weber ceramic poultry roaster to create a perfectly cooked tarte tatin. Heat your barbecue to between 170 and 190°C, you will need both direct and indirect heat for this dish. Sprinkle an even layer of sugar onto the base of the poultry roaster, place small cubes of salted butter on top of the sugar and top this with the zest of half a lemon. Core your apples and cut them into thin wedges, lay the on top of the butter and sugar all the way around the poultry roaster. Top this with puff pastry rolled to about the thickness of a pound coin, cut away the empty middle of the poultry roaster and tuck down any excess pastry. Make some holes in the pastry to allow steam to escape. Cook the tarte tatin directly over a direct heat for between five and seven minutes until a caramel has formed; then move it to an indirect heat for 20 to 25 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Turn the tarte tatin out onto a serving dish so that the pastry is on the bottom and the apples on the top and serve.

Poached pears – This seasonal recipe couldn’t be easier to make and will warm you from the inside out. One bottle of wine and 200g of sugar will do between four and six pears depending on their size. In an oven-safe dish combine the wine and sugar and any other ingredients you want to add – vanilla and cinnamon are both popular options. Heat the wine mixture gently on a direct heat until the sugar is fully dissolved, then add your peeled pears – ensuring they are entirely covered by the wine. Bring the mixture to the boil then cover it and simmer for around 30 minutes until the pears are tender. If the syrup is still too thick you can boil it down further after removing the pears.