From gathering foliage and laying down sheepskins, to devouring fruit loaves and sleeping late, there is real comfort to be found at this time of year - if you know where to look.

I know. Once your espadrilles have frayed, and you start craving mash rather than salad with your roast chicken, things can start to feel a little, well, drearier. Yet even this year, as dawns darken and the nights draw in, I feel the same familiar impatience, for sitting vigil over a pan of bubbling blackberries and investing in sturdy leather boots.

In loving Autumn, I often find myself in the conversational minority, with many dreading the ritual of hauling out pullovers, and stuffing garden cushions back into their boxes. Please believe me though, when I say that my enthusiasm for this middling season was hard won.

Growing up in a picturesque but elderly country cottage meant contending with frigid flagstones and draughty windowpanes. Whilst visiting friends loved the welcoming scent of woodsmoke and company of curled-up cats, I envied them their heated towel rails and goose feather duvets.

Michelmas term at an english boarding school was also - pardon the pun - nothing to write home about. The gauntlet to morning chapel was run in semi-darkness against icy winds, and languid games of tennis were suddenly replaced by cross country runs through mired heathland. I blame the latter almost entirely for my seasonal affective disorder diagnosis somewhere around 1998.

At any rate, the years have seen me work on my seasonal discomfort, to the point where I’ve gradually coaxed myself into embracing this season of mists with all the joy of Christmas. It took a bit of time, but now her maturing light and crisp mornings genuinely do hold a magic for me, that I was previously unable to see.

So, for inspiration on finding contentment now that warm days have ceased, and before the clocks fall back, here are the autumn rituals I have learnt to follow.

Put away summer things

Accepting that seasons come and go and that summer will return nine sure months from now, is a key step. So as you retrieve overcoats and inspect cashmere pullovers for moth damage, take time too, to fold away summer bedding and confine floral table linens to the bottom drawer.

I like to refresh shelves and tabletops too, tidying away summer curios such as shells and travel books, instead bringing comforting interior reads or foraged pine cones to the fore. Switching up pictures too, is an easy way to reflect the change in mood.

For cooler mornings, I cover bare floorboards with fluffy sheepskins or drape them over wooden chairs in the kitchen. So too inherited quilts come to adorn the foot of the bed, and knitted blankets are draped over sofas arms.

Soften lighting

Endeavouring to live by natural light as much as possible, as the evenings draw in, I lower dimmer switches and ensure bulbs give off warm, rather than cold light. Timers are one of my favourite tricks too, allowing a soft landing light to come on before sunrise, and ensuring a well-lit welcome home after dark.

Candlelight too is proven to encourage relaxation, so I regularly light a candle late afternoon when I start cooking, as well as tapered ones when sitting down to eat.

Update your larder…

Kilos of potatoes, really good salted butter, a hunk of nutty cheddar and homemade fruit chutney are my autumn essentials, as well as baby plums and some really good hot chocolate. Gathering in nourishing, comforting foods for the months ahead is profoundly satisfying, and helps me feel ‘set’ for the colder months.

With guttering candles and the scent of woodsmoke, not to mention a table laden with the fruits of summer’s harvest, autumn is an inspiring time to be in the kitchen. With small gatherings here to stay, make the most of your stocked larder by sharing hearty, nourishing pies and a glass of red wine, or toasted fruit loaves and a pot of tea, with just your nearest and dearest.

…and set a tray

As much as I love a laid table, I also know the value of the humble tray supper, especially at this time of year. For easy-going nights, or ones where you really haven’t the energy, make an event of serving up dishes on individual trays. This also means you can eat and watch a film, thereby getting to bed even earlier! Gosford Park is my go-to watch for a blustery tray supper night.

Embrace stories

What better fodder for the long evenings than getting under a blanket and escaping into a good, seasonal story? Be it a traditional country house murder, with intrigue and peril hiding behind brocade drapes or a period piece with carriages rattling across windswept moors - for me the golden age crime writers really come into their own right now.

Bring the outdoors in

Once the last of those amaranthine dahlias are over, British flowers can feel scarce. Instead of resorting to gaudy imports, try filling vases with the last of the autumnal-hued hydrangeas, or simple, bunched foliage, such as beech or fragrant eucalyptus.

If lighting a fire, be sure to sweep the chimney annually, and pile up logs in baskets where they can fully dry out.

And finally, treat yourself to a turn down

Forget chocolates on the pillow or towels shaped as swans (impressive as the latter is), this is about a simple, nightly routine that makes turning in early especially enticing on a dark night:

Lower bedroom lighting, tune your bedside radio to a soothing station and position a jug of filtered water, (I add sliced ginger), within easy reach. Spritz a little lavender spray on pillows, and, if especially nippy, tuck-in a hot water bottle or hang pyjamas over the radiator.

Stay safe, stay toasty. x