Ok let’s get the obvious reasons for loving autumn of the way. Yes, I know footy starts and the whale sharks return to Ningaloo Reef. And yes, it’s suddenly worth going to Paris to swing hands in their springtime. Yet I’d argue all these events revolve around food, whether it’s a pie at the footy, spawning reef coral attracting the whale sharks, or a romantic dinner in a Left Bank bistro.

For me autumn is about food, something that, for once, famous poets and authors and I agree on. This is the season of “mellow fruitfulness”, when “moss’d cottage-trees bend with apples”. Thank you, John Keats. Food obsessed A. A. Milne wrote: “Other signs of autumn there may be – the reddening leaf, the chill in the early-morning air, the misty evenings – but none of these comes home to me so truly… It is only with the first celery that summer is over.” Both Winnie the Pooh and I (a self-confessed piglet) would agree.

Autumn is a time of profusion and feasting, whether it’s the last of summer’s bounty, the glory of the harvest, the final and long-awaited fulfilment of the season, or the first coming of winter produce. So here are my five reasons to love autumn…

1.Because it has the sexiest fruit

Summer’s strawberries, mangoes and cherries are the supermodels of the fruit world, but if you want depth and generosity, fruit that balances its obvious charms with a little mature sharpness, then orchard fruits such as apple, quince and pear offer a little tart edge that’s a blessed relief after the perky sweetness of summer. Think now on thick-skinned pomegranates with complex ruby hearts that inspired myths, or persimmons with highly polished skins like the colour of dying suns.

2. Because of the vegetables

Now is the season of the bitter and the sweet. Cabbages, broccoli and Brussels sprouts versus beetroot, parsnips and pumpkin, made all the more sweet through time in the oven – and their time underground. And versatile fennel is a star in salads, braises and roasts alike.

3. Because of the woods

Growing up in the UK, autumn was marked by the smell of smoke from the hearth and burning leaves from garden pyres, pulling you home to crumpets and stews. Autumnal trees offer up mushrooms and truffles at their base, with nuts adorning their branches. And for those who also like to taste with their eyes, there are the forest leaves exploding with reds, russets and golds.

4. Because we are all squirrels

There’s a scampering in the woods as the animals try to lay-in food for the winter. We are no different. Autumn is the time of preserving and nothing is more trendy, right? Cured, brined, pickled, smoked and fermented items are popping up on restaurant menus and in upscale grocers. Look for Korean kimchi, brined Moroccan lemons, citrus-cured Peruvian ceviche and pickled Mexican carrots. Turns out ‘fresh’ isn’t the ‘be-all and end-all’, after all.

5. Because autumn is about fresh olive oil

For me olive oil is a mechanical thing, taken for granted like the starter motor in a car – apart from now, when we see Australia’s first fresh oils of the season. Compared to the dead old varieties imported from overseas, these seem alive in the bottle, bright with the greens of the fruit and still fresh and vibrant on the palate. If you haven’t used it, try some. Treat it like liquid gold and drizzle it on everything from steamed cauliflower to fresh pasta.

Be sure to check out our favourite Autumn recipes here.