Butter bean and mushroom soup and squid toasts: Emily Roux’s autumn starters

Colourful autumnal starter-snacks of butter bean veloute with mixed mushrooms and pickled onions, and squid with padrón peppers, lemon zest and toasted almonds

I have vivid memories of picking up fallen chestnuts with my mum, which was such a clear signal of autumn for me as a child. We’d kick through piles of leaves to find them, then bring them home to score and roast on the fire. I remember always burning my fingers as I tried to peel them, yet still I went back for more. To me, autumn is all about earthy flavours and a comforting sense of nostalgia. It also marks a new chapter in the kitchen, because the start of any new season is the most exciting time in a restaurant, when we get a whole new set of ingredients to work with. Today’s two first courses draw on those earthy, autumnal qualities, and work just as well for a light lunch as they do for a relaxed starter, with plenty of room for manoeuvre depending on how hungry you and your guests are.