Autumn is my favourite cooking season in Australia. Summer’s heat breaks, the oven becomes your friend again, and the produce shift is dramatic. Root vegetables return. Apples and pears peak. Mushrooms come into their own. The braising cuts that felt too heavy in January become exactly what you want.

Here’s a guide to what’s in season through Australian autumn and what to do with it.

March: the transition

March is the bridge month. Summer produce is still around but fading, and the first autumn arrivals are appearing.

Still going strong: Tomatoes (the last good ones of the year — buy extra and preserve them), stone fruit (late plums, figs), corn, eggplant, capsicum.

Starting to arrive: Early apples (Gala, Jazz), pears, quinces, sweet potatoes, parsnips, first of the season mushrooms.

What to cook:

End-of-summer tomato sauce. If you’re going to preserve tomatoes, do it now. Buy a box of ripe Roma tomatoes, simmer them with garlic, olive oil, and basil until thick, and bottle or freeze them. You’ll thank yourself in July.

Fig and blue cheese salad. While figs are still available, eat them raw with strong blue cheese, rocket, walnuts, and a drizzle of good honey. This salad won’t be possible again until next year.

Slow-cooked eggplant. Cut eggplant into thick rounds, layer in a baking dish with tomato sauce, mozzarella, and parmesan. Bake at 180C for 45 minutes. Somewhere between parmigiana and lasagne. Perfect for a cool March evening.

April: properly autumn

April is when autumn fully arrives. The nights get cool, the produce changes decisively, and the kitchen becomes the warmest room in the house.

In season: Apples (Pink Lady, Granny Smith, Fuji), pears (Packham, Beurre Bosc), quinces, sweet potatoes, pumpkin (butternut, Queensland blue, Jap), parsnips, beetroot, cauliflower, broccoli, mushrooms (field, Swiss brown, pine), kale, silverbeet, leeks.

What to cook:

Pumpkin soup. I know. Everyone makes pumpkin soup. But a good one is genuinely wonderful. Roast butternut pumpkin with a whole head of garlic until caramelised. Blend with stock, a splash of cream, and a grating of nutmeg. Serve with a swirl of brown butter and toasted pepitas. Simple, perfect.

Apple crumble. Use a mix of tart and sweet apples — Granny Smith with Pink Lady is my go-to. Peel, core, and slice into a baking dish with a squeeze of lemon and a tablespoon of sugar. Top with a crumble of flour, butter, oats, brown sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon. Bake at 180C for 35 minutes until bubbling and golden.

Mushroom risotto. Autumn mushrooms are at their best. Use a mix of Swiss browns and whatever specialty mushrooms you can find. Fry them hard in butter until deeply golden — don’t crowd the pan. Make a basic risotto with stock and parmesan, fold the mushrooms through at the end.

Quince paste (membrillo). If you can find quinces, make paste. It takes hours of slow cooking but the result — a deep ruby, intensely aromatic paste that’s perfect with cheese — is worth it. Peel and core quinces, simmer with equal weight sugar and a splash of lemon juice until it turns brick red and pulls away from the sides of the pan. Pour into a lined tray and let set.

May: late autumn, almost winter

The last of autumn’s produce, and the transition to winter cooking.

In season: Root vegetables peak (carrots, turnips, parsnips, celeriac, swedes), leafy greens (kale, spinach, chard), Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, citrus beginning (mandarins, early navels), avocados.

What to cook:

Root vegetable roast. Cut a mix of root vegetables — whatever looks good at the market — into similar-sized pieces. Toss with olive oil, salt, thyme, and a drizzle of honey. Roast at 200C for 40 minutes until caramelised. Serve with labneh or yoghurt and a scattering of toasted seeds.

Braised lamb shanks. This is the dish that says autumn is truly here. Brown the shanks hard in a Dutch oven. Build a base with onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Add red wine, stock, tinned tomatoes, and herbs. Cover and cook at 160C for 3 hours until the meat falls from the bone. Serve with mashed potato.

Brussels sprouts done properly. Halve them, toss in olive oil, and roast at 220C until charred on the edges and tender inside. Finish with a squeeze of lemon, shaved parmesan, and crispy fried shallots. Brussels sprouts are only bad when they’re boiled to death.

Mandarin cake. As the first mandarins arrive, make a whole citrus cake. Boil two mandarins whole until soft (about an hour). Blend them — skin, pith, everything — with eggs, sugar, and almond meal. Bake at 170C for an hour. It’s gluten-free, intensely citrusy, and keeps beautifully.

The seasonal mindset

Cooking seasonally isn’t about rigid rules. It’s about noticing what’s available, what’s at its best, and what your body is asking for. In autumn, your body wants warmth, richness, and depth. The produce available delivers exactly that.

Pay attention at the shops and at the market. What’s piled high and cheap is what’s in season. Cook that, and you’re already most of the way there.