Autumn is my favourite season, so every time it rolls around I get completely stuck into any activity I possibly can. One of my absolute faves (and the entirety of Instagram too by the looks of it...) is to go Pumpkin picking.
PYO farms have been a favourite of mine ever since I was little, frequently visiting Tulley's Farm with my grandparents to pick strawberries, raspberries and any other goods we could get our hands on. There's something I find so exciting about picking something so bright/colourful/tasty that's come from the ground and searching for the best ones you can find.
This year, Tulley's Farm introduced a Pumpkin Patch so I headed there with Jasmin and Josh to pick our prize pumpkins!
Happy days xxx
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Every time Autumn rolls around I wish I lived in America to go and admire row upon row of pumpkins at a Pumpkin Patch. This year, however, I scouted out a local PYO farm that had pumpkins and squashes and headed down there on their last weekend of the season. 
I have always loved Pick Your Own farms.
There's something so exciting about finding endless coloured jewels of fruit and veg among the foliage. I'm used to picking raspberries and strawberries, pumpkins are a little easier to spot! I discovered Roundstone Farm last year in one of Zoella's vlogs and wanted to go this Summer for fruit picking, but having missed the chance I was excited to go for some Autumn goods instead!
There's something so exciting about finding endless coloured jewels of fruit and veg among the foliage. I'm used to picking raspberries and strawberries, pumpkins are a little easier to spot! I discovered Roundstone Farm last year in one of Zoella's vlogs and wanted to go this Summer for fruit picking, but having missed the chance I was excited to go for some Autumn goods instead!
We wandered through the field discovering cabbages, raspberries and all sorts of other vegetables before stumbling upon the pumpkin patch. After wandering about the patch, we picked our perfect pumpkin and headed off to weigh and pay! I also grabbed a a blue pumpkin which apparently are best for eating (but look like aliens!) and some pretty squashes from the farm shop too.
I'd definitely recommend spending an afternoon at a PYO farm to collect up your pumpkins for Halloween or Autumn styling around and about the house. Roundstone farm is now closed for the season but just a quick google search will tell you where your local one is!
p.s. there's a vlog of our visit coming on Sunday!
p.s. there's a vlog of our visit coming on Sunday!
I just wanted to write a little note about November. It's always one of my favourite months and I just wanted to say why...
bonfire night
- Crackling bonfires and the kind of fireworks that make you go 'wooow' as they light up everyones faces. I've got exciting plans with family and friends full of food and fireworks. I'm hoping to film a nice little video too
autumn
- Autumn is in full swing, showers of orange leaves fall from the trees every time the wind blows and the countryside is like an artists palette of beautiful autumn colours.
goodbye uni
- This year, I'll be graduating with a 1st from university. Graduation feels like it's been a long time coming as we're pretty late to be having ours, but I can't wait to tie the final bow on my uni years.
twenty two
- It's birthday month! I don't think I'll ever be over the excitement of birthdays. I have lots of plans with my favourite people and I think that's one of the reasons birthdays excite me so much, I get to say 'Hey, all you people who constantly make me smile and laugh and who make me feel loved daily, come and spend a day doing fun things together' what's not to love about that?!
the lead up to December
- I don't just find 'Christmas Day' exciting, I find the whole thing exciting. The lead up, the time with friends, time with family, watching films, getting cosy, celebrating, playing games, wrapping presents, that warm, cosy feeling you get throughout the whole of December.
This look will feature in an upcoming Autumn Lookbook on my channel, but if you want to know any details...
what I'm wearing
jumper :: BooHoo
jeans :: Matalan
lip colour :: NYX Liquid Lipstick in Cannes
What do you love about November?
If I can urge you to do one thing this week, it'd be to get outside and take it all in.
Living in a city for three years, meant my view of the seasons changing was limited. I left for uni in September, returned for weekend trips in November and the leaves would be all sorts of colours, then home for Christmas in December and they'd be turning into mulch on the ground.
I always used to come home and say 'I miss trees! They're so pretty!' and it was true! Every time I came home, a season had changed and I couldn't believe the beauty that came with it.
I'm finding it almost breathtaking, which sounds SO dramatic, I know. I can not believe the bright reds, firey oranges, popping yellows and lime greens that are shedding from the trees. Driving through the country lanes I'm seeing these pops of colour above me that I haven't been around to witness due to city dwelling during term time.
If you find yourself with a spare five minutes this week, just go outside and take in just how beautiful Autumn is. It becomes the norm, it happens every year and it's far too easy to take for granted the beauty of it all.
It's always been my favourite time of year and I'm so happy to live in the countryside to appreciate it all properly. I've been getting excited, writing autumn to-do lists and lists of lovely autumnal things.
What's your favourite thing about Autumn?
There's something that feels so special (and typically british) about picking fruit from your own garden and boiling and bubbling it up into your own homemade jam.
I've always loved Plum Jam, I used to have it when I was a younger, but hadn't had it in a while. There'd always be a jar at my dads house, but since I've been at university that luxury was not available to me and I was scrapping out the last of whatever was in the cupboard instead...
My dad and step-mum had left a huge bag of delicious, straight from the tree, plums and greengages for me when I drove down the other day. They said I could pick more from the tree if I wanted to make jam, so I took the chance to take photos of the plum trees at golden hour and the challenge of making jam as it was one I was most definitely up for.
This recipe is super simple and doesn't involve any faffing about with a thermometer. You can change the quantities to the amount of jam you'd like to make, just make sure you're using equal parts plums and sugar.
r e c i p e b e l o w 
This recipe is by Waitrose.
Remember these quantities are completely up to you, but adapt the other ingredients depending on how many plums you want to use.
What you'll need ::
2kg English plums - washed, halved & stoned
600ml cold water
2kg Jam sugar (We used preserving sugar, which seemed to work just as well)
1. Prepare your jam jars. Preheat your oven to 160°C, wash your jars in hot soapy water, rinse and dry them thoroughly. Put them on their sides in the oven for 10 minutes and then turn off the oven until the jam is ready to pot.
2. To prepare your plums, cut them in half along the indentation, twist the halves apart and remove the stones.
3. Put the plums and water in a wide, large saucepan. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat, simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon for 45 minutes - the plums should be soft and pulpy and the liquid should be reduced by about half.
4. Add the sugar and stir until it has completely dissolved. The base of the pan should no longer feel gritty when stirred with a wooden spoon. Bring to the boil and boil it rapidly for 4-5 minutes.
6. Remove it from the heat and test the setting point. To do this, spoon a little jam onto a chilled saucer, let it cool for a few seconds, then push the jam with your finger. If it wrinkles on the surface, it has reached setting point and it's ready to put into the jars. If not boil for a further 2 minutes and test again.
7. Skim off the scum from the surface using a slotted spoon, then leave the jam to stand for 15 minutes, then stir it thoroughly. Set your jars out and pour the jam into the warm jars, right to the top. Cover the jam with a waxed disc (not going to lie, I didn't have these...) and then twist on the lid. Tie a sweet ribbon around the jar, write a little label and your jam is good to go!
It's absolutely delicious on warm buttered toast or my current favourite, a big blob of jam on top of a bowl of greek yoghurt for breakfast. Delicious.
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