October Cosiness: Country walks, Home-made Roast, Yorkshire Pudding Recipe & Cottage Home Decor

October is for all things cosy: celebrating slow life with steaming cups of tea, warm sweaters, and of course, Autumn candles. Now that we’ve reached the middle of the month, the landscape is changing right before our eyes. The trees are dropping their beautiful leaves, and the forests are decorated in hues of orange and brown. Here in Somerset, the peak of Autumn colour happens in November, but it doesn’t last very long - by the end of next month, many trees will be bare, and the wind will grow colder and fiercer.

As small business owners, my husband and I plan and talk about the last quarter practically all year. It's our busiest time, and we need to be prepared. I mentioned this in my last YouTube vlog - you can watch it HERE - that each year, when the season actually arrives, I feel a little nostalgic, maybe a tiny bit sad. This is it, another Autumn of my life is here. How many more are ahead of me?

I don’t mean to make you (or myself!) feel sad, but rather gently remind you that each season, each day, and each moment is precious and unrepeatable. I feel like this Autumn is going by FAST. We have maybe a month left before it starts to feel wintry here in the English countryside, so I’m making sure to slow down enough to notice, smell, touch, taste, walk, photograph, and truly experience Autumn before it’s gone. Go for a walk in the forest, eat a cinnamon bun, drink a pumpkin spice latte, wear your favourite jumper, light an “Autumn Leaves” candle, bring some cosy country decor to your home... anything that makes you feel connected to the season.

Below, I’m sharing with you my cosy, very country-style Sunday: a slow-paced video for those who get annoyed with fast-paced reels. I edited this one much slower, so I hope watching it will be a relaxing experience.

In the video, I’m making homemade Yorkshire puddings. I only got into making them recently, and I can’t believe how easy they are to make! They're so much better than the shop-bought ones. A little tip, because I think the recipe isn’t explicit enough about this: Do NOT open the oven once the puddings are in until they’re ready. I repeat, do not open the oven. If you do, even for a moment, they will deflate. They won’t rise nicely and will bake more like a clump (which is still delicious, to be honest—based on my own experience, lol). Here's the recipe - let me know if you will try it!

The book featured in the video is The Book of British Countryside by AA. I picked it up in early Spring this year from a second-hand book barn. It’s kind of an encyclopedia of all things countryside, including a lot about animals and plants, so I treat it like a coffee table book and stop only at the parts that really interest me, like traditional British house designs and the evolution of church design over the centuries.