Despite the back-to-school, back-to-work vibes of September, I also think it’s a time of celebration. There’s the feeling of new things, with apples, corn, walnuts, squash and mushrooms appearing at the markets, and my garden has finally emerged from its drought-induced slumber, as if coming out of a trance – it is greener, more alive, reawakening. There’s still the odd bit of warm weather in which to play, too, so light up the grill, get creative in the kitchen and dance like it’s June again.

Rich Indian spices, sweet onion, garlic and lemon make this marinade stand out when it hits the grill. Serve with a garlicky raita on the side.

Prep 10 min
Marinate 30 min+
Cook 30 min
Serves 4-6

1kg chicken thighs (about 6), preferably boneless and skin-on
2 tsp sea salt
1 medium onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 fat garlic cloves, peeled
2 red chillies
1 tsp ground turmeric
2 heaped tsp garam masala
1 lemon
300g kefir
½ tsp chilli powder (optional) – kashmiri for a mild flavour, ancho for a rounded taste and a little heat, cayenne if you like things hot
1 handful fresh coriander, leaves picked

For the raita
½ cucumber
1 fat garlic clove, peeled and finely grated
Salt and pepper

Season the chicken thighs generously with salt. Put the onions, garlic, chillies and spices in a food processor, squeeze in the juice of half a lemon and blitz to a paste, scraping down the sides of the bowl a few times as you go. Add a teaspoon of salt and 100g kefir, and blitz again to make a beautiful, ochre-coloured paste. Taste it – I like to add some chilli powder. Slather the marinade all over the chicken thighs and leave for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, or for a few hours/overnight in the fridge.

Shortly before you’re ready to eat, coarsely grate the cucumber skin and all into a sieve, suspend it over a bowl, and push down to squeeze out any water (the juice is a delicious drink; try it with a little salt and pepper). Mix the squeezed cucumber with the remaining kefir and grated garlic, then season generously.

Heat a griddle pan (or barbecue) and chargrill the chicken for six minutes on each side, until the meat is cooked through and the skin is deliciously crisp and golden. Serve scattered with fresh coriander, the remaining half-lemon cut into wedges and the raita.

A crisp, caramelised, scented tart that takes very little time to prepare, but still feels like a proper pudding.

Prep 10 min
Cook 1 hr
Serves 6-8

10 green cardamom pods
100g sugar
Salt
5 medium sharp, crisp apples (about 450g)
Juice of ½ lemon
40g unsalted butter
1 320g sheet shop-bought puff pastry (preferably all-butter)
Plain flour, for dusting
1 small egg
40g ground almonds

Start by making a cardamom sugar. Put the pods in a mortar and bash them a few times with a pestle. Slip off and discard the loosened green sleeves, then bash the remaining black seeds with vigour. Add the sugar and a generous pinch of salt, and bash again to release the cardamom oils and aromatics into the sugar.

Quarter and core the apples, then slice into 2-3mm-thick half-moons. As you slice them, toss in a bowl with the lemon juice so they don’t discolour. Heat the oven to 220C (200C fan)/425F/gas 7.

Melt the butter in a small pan (or in the microwave). Lay out the pastry on a board. Lightly flour a rolling pin, then roll the pastry so it’s a little larger and a little thinner, but still in a similar rectangular shape. Line a baking tray with baking paper, lay the pastry on top and use a small, sharp knife carefully to mark a 2cm border all around the edge; take care not to cut through the pastry completely. Prick the inside of the border all over with a fork (this will stop it rising in the oven). Whisk the egg with a teaspoon of water, then brush this all over the pastry.

Bake for five minutes, then remove and scatter the ground almonds all over the centre of the pastry. Arrange the apple slices in an overlapping pattern on top, then drizzle or brush with the melted butter and sprinkle the lot with the cardamom sugar.

Bake for another 20 minutes, then turn down the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6 and bake for a final 10 minutes, until the apples are browned and caramelised. Leave to cool a little on a rack, then slice and serve with vanilla ice-cream, thick cream, custard or all three.