Remember, remember all of November

Yes, November is a slower month, but still with plenty to notice locally, in the food, the sky and the sea.

What’s Happening This Month

It's full of old traditions:

1st: Samhain and All Saints’ Day: the old Celtic new year and a Christian day of remembrance, both marking the start of winter.
2nd: All Souls’ Day.
5th: Bonfire Night: fires, fireworks and a good night for baked potatoes and parkin.
9th: Remembrance Sunday.
11th: Armistice Day.

11th is also the Feast of St Martin of Tours aka Martinmas which is the old turning point between autumn and winter.

In earlier times it was one of the most important dates in the rural calendar. It came at the end of the harvest season and the start of winter preparations - when livestock were slaughtered, meat salted and food stored away for the colder months.

Traditionally, it was also a time for feasting and sharing. People would roast goose, drink the new season’s wine or cider and hold fairs or hiring days in farming communities. In some parts of Europe, Martinmas was known as the “little harvest festival”, a chance to celebrate plenty before the leaner winter. In the Christian calendar it honours St Martin of Tours, remembered for his kindness and humility — famously sharing his cloak with a beggar. That story gave the day a sense of generosity and looking after others, which still fits the season now.

Today, Martinmas isn’t widely observed in the UK, but it lingers quietly in rural traditions, school festivals and seasonal calendars as a reminder that November is a time to store, share and settle in for winter.

23rd: Stir-Up Sunday. Time to get Christmas puddings and cakes made if you haven’t already.

30th: St Andrew’s Day: Scotland’s day!

What’s in Season? This is proper comfort food season - roots, greens, stored fruit and slow cooking. Here’s what’s best in the UK right now:

Brussels sprouts (and sprout tops) – now at their best. Cabbages (Savoy, red, white) – hardy, versatile and great for winter dishes. Carrots – still going strong, sweet and full-flavoured. Parsnips – sweeter after frost, perfect for roasting or mashing. Swede – warming, earthy and ideal for stews or mash. Kale – packed with goodness, adds colour and texture. Chard – another hardy green, lovely in soups or sautés. Leeks – mild and sweet, perfect for soups, pies and stews. Celeriac – underrated root vegetable with a nutty taste. Jerusalem artichokes – great roasted or in soup. Turnips – traditional winter root, good mashed or roasted. Celery – adds crunch to winter salads or depth to soups. Chicory – slightly bitter leaf that works well in salads or baked. Winter salad leaves – hardy mixes like mizuna, mustard or rocket add freshness.

If you’re by the coast, it’s also a fine time for seafood — mussels, oysters, hake, haddock and crab are all in season now.

And for those who eat meat, November’s when game is at its best: venison, duck, goose. Pair it with red cabbage or roasted roots and you’re sorted.

Moons and Tides

The sky’s properly dark now, so the moon really does take over: Full Moon: 5 November Last Quarter: 12 November New Moon: 20 November First Quarter: 28 November

Full and new moons bring the spring tides — the highest highs and lowest lows around 6–7 November and 21–22 November.

The neap tides, when the water’s steadier, fall around 13–14 November and 29–30 November.

And a few things I’ll be doing this month: Watching the full moon rise over the fields. Roasting anything I can fit on a tray. Walking to our local real ale pub before tea, this is one of the toughest months for pubs as people stay home before the festive month ahead so they need all the support we can give them.

Hope you have a simply slow month.