Summer has officially left Scotland. Gone are the few days of stretched out summer evenings, lazy evening walks around the park and the scent of burning burgers on barbeques. Autumn is here.

Yet the change in weather paves the way for a new season of eating, one in which ice cold smoothies packed with greens, salad bowls and lighter meals are replaced by comfort food.

An essential part of cultivating an aura of hygge in your home; the Danish concept quickly sweeping the nation up in blankets and box sets, warming bowls of slowly cooked chilli, a proper ragu tossed with comforting twirls of spaghetti and spiced curries filled with vegetables or meats are preferred over the salads and smoothies of summer.

Like a bear collating its stocks for hibernation, we hunker down. Steam collects on windowpanes as pots and pans bubble on the stove, an inviting plume of steam arising as the lid is lifted. A stir here, a pinch of salt there, perhaps a bay leaf or better, a glug of red wine.

It's not cliche, rather it's a welcome trend in the culinary world. Upcoming book releases this autumn are inviting their readers to Stir Slowly, to enjoy Seasons Eatings, to Roast and Mash their way to comfort.

The cookbook is no longer asking for spiralisers and expensive blenders, it wants slow cookers filled with meat to be cooked low and slow, for large le creuset pans simmering with black bean chilli, for a dish of rice pudding slowly caramelising in the oven on a low heat.

But how exactly should we be embracing the colder months with the contents of your food cupboards? Here's five ways to warm your soul with comfort food this autumn.

Embrace your slow cooker

Once the staple of the wedding gift list alongside sodastreams and towel sets, the slower cooker has made a triumphant return to modern kitchens. With so many of us leading hectic lifestyles, the latest takeaway leaflet through the letterbox can look tempting after work, so a dinner already prepared in the slow cooker almost feels like a new invention.

But dumping ingredients in its belly, securing the lid and setting the timer ensures you arrive home to a hot meal - meaning all you need to do is set the table, heat up some plates and enjoy. Give this recipe for slow cooked Irn Bru pulled pork a go - perfect for stuffing in a roll with coleslaw and apple sauce.

Bring out your biggest pot

Preferable heavy bottomed, double handled and capable of holding a vat of soup, stew or curry, batch cooking is more than a cost-effective way of making the most of every spoonful. An instagram hashtag as popular as #avotoast, #mealprep is all about planning ahead for the week ahead but rather than writing down tasks, it's pre-cooking your food that's popular.

Simmer a large pot of lentil soup on a Sunday for an easy lunch to transport to work or cook a large batch of mince and chopped tomatoes that can be easily transformed into chilli with beans and spices or bolognese with mushrooms and herbs later on. Store portions in the fridge for up to three days and transfer the rest to the freezer. This recipe for vegan chilli is a perfect place to start. Which leads us onto...

Fill your freezer

Whether you have a large chest freezer or a tiny icebox inserted above your fridge, there are plenty ways to utilize the space to keep meals fresh and easy to defrost, ready for reheating after work. Perfect for storing leftover portions of bolognese sauce or freezing bags of spinach and kale before they wilt, a freezer is an excellent resource for housing comfort foods especially for those who eat a different diet to the rest of the household, live alone or just fancy making life a little easier in the evenings.

Invest in individual foil trays for one portion pies, lasagna and pasta bake and keep freezer bags to hand for portioning chilli, curry and stew for each to reach dinners for one person. Simply defrost in the morning and heat for dinner with a side of freshly cooked rice, pasta or mashed potatoes. Try making these individual portions of leek and ricotta lasange.

Eat with the seasons

Truly embracing the change in weather means saying goodbye to summer's strawberries and asparagus, and cooking with the likes of butternut squash, potatoes, parsnips, apples and blackberries instead. All comforting, earthy tastes, cook vegetarian squash curries, parsnip soups and serve up large dishes of apple crumble studded with blackberries.

If you miss picking berries in the summer, some pick-you-own farms will allow you to pluck your own brambles and apples - great for getting kids involved. Give this recipe a go for a delicious seasonal pudding.

Stretch out your Sunday roast

If cooking a crispy skinned chicken or hunk of beef during the hotter summer months put you off Sunday roasts then now is the time to return to its cosiness. Clouds of Yorkshire puddings, crispy roast potatoes, plenty of vegetables and arguments over who gets the chicken wings aplenty. But of course, there is more to leftovers than chicken or roast beef sandwiches.

Strip a chicken carcass and simmer with some non-sulphurous vegetables for around an hour for a delicious stock for making soup. Use the leftover meat for the base of a chicken pie, tossed in a creamy vegetable sauce and topped with a square of puff or shortcrust pastry. Thinly slice roast beef into strips and toss with noodles for a delicious stir fry or add a jar of sweet and sour sauce to leftover chopped roast pork. The possibilities are endless and it will never feel like you're eating the same meal again. Here's some ideas for that roast chicken to try.