Now more than ever, strengthening our own health and immunity is paramount. These tips from Angela Koutsofrigas, a registered Chinese Medicine Practitioner from Autumn Retreat, will have you feeling cozy, cared for and ready for anything this Autumn.

We can all start with the readily accessible: early morning and late afternoon sun, food and water, calming the nervous system, moving our bodies and resting them too.

Recognising the seasons and moving with them helps too. Autumn is associated with metallic elements and the lungs. It’s the time to strengthen our ‘Wei Qi’; the first line of defence from external pathogens.

Autumn is a dry, windy season that calls for foods that nourish our ‘yin’ fluids and the comfort that soups and stews bring to our digestive systems.

Keep your kitchen open to seasonal foods like pears, apples, plums, mustard greens, cabbage, dill, beans and mushrooms. Use spices like cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and of course LOTS of ginger and garlic for your immunity.

Here is the recipe of the lovely Apple and walnut cake Fran whipped up last week in the studio and features in the images.

Stay safe and stay well.