Autumn is here and what a beautiful season it is. More and more I am appreciating the wonder of nature as the year unfolds. Each season for me has a colour and I am totally in-love with the auburn hues that autumn delights us with.

It is also a time for nourishing ourselves and ensuring that we create space for self-care. With winter fast-approaching, it’s important that we get some things in-place to make this transition easier.

With this in mind, I’ve put together an ultimate Autumn Self-Care Guide; my top tips for helping you to move in rhythm with nature as the colder weather sets-in.

1) Make hearty soups bursting with root vegetables. I like to use seasonal ingredients when I cook and I absolutely LOVE root veggies! The earthy flavours, abundant nutrients and root chakra-balancing properties make for the best nourishment on a chilly day.

Without a doubt, this is my all-time favourite; it’s so creamy and yummy and it can be tweaked with other ingredients to create different flavours.

I absolutely LOVE butternut squash. It’s so creamy, velvety and filling. I love taking humble ingredients in their raw form and making something beautiful and delicious out of them. Autumn provides a veritable bounty of root veggies that we can create alchemy with and the squash is no exception.

Spicy Butternut Squash & Red Pepper Soup

Prep time: 30 minutes. Cook time: 1 hour. Devour time: no time at all

Shopping list: 1 x large butternut squash, 2 x medium onions, 2 x carrots, 1 x large red pepper, 1 inch of fresh ginger, 3 x tbsp of paprika, veggie stock cube, coconut yogurt, salt & pepper, olive oil

Method: Preheat oven to 180. Peel and cube all ingredients, cover with olive oil, paprika and salt & pepper. Roast until soft (with some golden bits – roughly 35 minutes and keep a few crispier ones aside for garnish). In a pan, slow-fry the chopped ginger and add 1.5 litres of stock. Add roasted veggies and bring to the boil. Take off the heat and blitz. Taste and add additional seasoning if required. Return to heat and simmer for a few minutes. Serve with a dollop of coconut yogurt, cubed squash and a sprinkling of cumin seeds. Sooooo yummy!

2) Soak your tired legs in a salt bath. Oh yes, that’s what Autumn is all about! Lovely, steaming baths at the end of a long, cold day! There’s nothing better than emerging ourselves in water to help relax the nervous system after a hectic day. When we’re also battling the elements, we certainly need a bit more “me-time” to re-set and re-charge the batteries. Bathing in Himalayan Salt is a great way to draw toxins from the body and it can help alleviate tiredness and promote a sense of calm. I am in love with MOA products, especially their Dreamy Mineral Soak containing Lavender, Pine & Cardamom and you can find this absolutely wonderful soak in my shop

3) Light a candle. I love nothing more than filling my home with beautiful scents and I am currently in-love with Etta French Nutmeg, Orange & Cinnamon candles. It’s okay to talk about Christmas in November, right?!? Yes, of course it is! Well, these delicious candles are sooo amazing and they have the most heady scents of Christmas to make you feel all festive!

3) Get outside. You got it! This is the simplest trick for boosting wellbeing albeit a little bit chilly this time of year! Wrap-up warm, grab your thermals and take a stroll in nature. I feel blessed to live by the sea and it feels wonderful to be able to watch the waves if I am feeling stressed; they truly have an hypnotic effect that can wash-away the strains of the day. If you live close to a park or an open space, go grab a lung-full of fresh air and marvel at the colours of autumn.

4) Phone a friend. The colder months can feel quite isolating and there’s a huge temptation sometimes to go into full hibernation mode. This is absolutely okay, as long as we reach-our when we feel like we need to. It can be easy to harbour our stresses and feel like we can’t share them but I can assure you that it good to talk and you’re not a burden. Shorter days and less light can take its toll on our health and wellbeing but by speaking to friends and family, we can re-connect and re-affirm that winter always turns to spring and that tomorrow is another day.

5) Treat yourself! Oh yes! Whether it be a nice new pair of wooly socks, some new pjs or some new make-up. Treating ourselves can be huge beneficial to our wellbeing! You don’t really even need to spend any money. Simply taking time out to make a delicious meal from scratch, packing a flask and drinking hot tea by the beach or re-camping some old clothes into decorations or a cushion (I love doing this); all can make us feel really good.

I’ve just launched my NEW Autumn ‘Let’s Get Cosy’ NourishMe Wellness Box an it’s bursting with lots of amazing, vegan goodies to keep you nourished and grounded this Autumn. It contains all of my favourite things and I am so excited to share it with you!

It contains 5 x full-size vegan treats plus a beautiful wellbeing journal to document your thoughts and ideas and 1 x Soapfolk Rose Geranium soup to make your cosy night in really special.

This beautiful box is now available to buy on my online store and standard UK postage is free (£15.00 inc postage) RRP: £22.80.

I am so happy to have this box ready in-time for these cold and crisp days. Let’s hope that the sunshine accompanies them for as long as possible.

I hope you like my guide to self-care this Autumn and I would love to hear any feedback or suggestions you have so please feel free to leave any comments below.

Have a beautiful week and keep warm!

Lots of love,

Holly HWK xxx