It's time to put the olive oil away and indulge in butter and cream
I have succumbed to the colder weather and slipped into dairy mode. Cheese, butter and cream seem to be all I want to eat. Do I feel guilty? Not really. Who can think about guilt when a dish of dauphinois potatoes oozes out of the oven or a crumble arrives all golden and steaming?
The Irish have a close affinity with diary products, and long may it continue. A month or two ago I was roasting butternut squash with olive oil. Now I am using butter; a generous knob laced with garlic, laid in the cavity in its centre and baked in the oven.
And when the clocks went back, the other week, I suddenly developed a craving for a scone and jam late in the afternoon. As darkness fell, it somehow seemed the right thing to do. And then I had two of them.
Half-term brought a second round of temptation, as the children decided it was time to get down to some serious baking: fairy cakes with cream, gingerbread with butter and, for later, when the cheese came out, oatcakes.
Eating with the seasons is a mantra that many of us have grown used to, yet, with the summer we have just had, the idea of eating with the climate is also relevant.
As temperatures fall, it seems right to leave our enthusiasm for the Mediterranean diet to one side. Tradition can be a big draw.