Autumn is a beautiful time of year where the air grows cooler and the leaves decorate the ground; trees dress the pavements with acorns and chestnut shells. We all flock to pumpkin patches and markets in search of cute pumpkins to decorate our houses. Pumpkin carving is still a fun pastime, especially if you’re going to make use of the seeds and meat of the gourd. Starbucks reminds us yearly that even if you don’t like pumpkin spice everything, you’ll still be inundated with seasonal reminders that you’re not on trend. So, here’s a little ode to all the goodness you can make with your pumpkin next time around, after using it for seasonal display purposes. 

One of the easiest ways to make use of your pumpkin in a low cost and low effort way is to scoop out the seeds and roast them with anything you want. Last year, oil and salt were enough to make a snack high in fibre. This year, pumpkin seeds tossed in honey with a pinch of salt was a very tempting treat too. Simply put them in a preheated oven for 10 minutes at 200C and you’ll have a fantastic snack which you can pimp anyway you want. Make them garlicky, spicey, or have them in a salad too!

Another great way to use your pumpkin is in a soup, and in combination with whatever vegetables you’d like. To me mixing it with potatoes which thicken, and a stronger veg like tomato or onion would disguise the taste of the gourd which I’m not too keen on, without wasting it! There’s plenty of recipes for pumpkin soup on the internet and with a little trial and error I think even a hater would find one which they could have every year to celebrate the season. 

Now a little trick to follow on from the soup is to roast as per usual, but instead of pairing with a warm toasted slice of ciabatta, pour over some rigatoni or tagliatelle and create a festive, wholesome pasta dish. One recipe on the internet called to add garlic and oil to your pumpkin and create a thick luxurious sauce, but I also think mixing with tomato would make this amazing too. 

Now you’ll be disappointed to know, just as I was, that if you think you’ll be able to fashion a pie or a sweet loaf out of the vegetable, then think again. Quite often these Americanised recipes call for canned pumpkin, something hard to come by in the UK, however if you search for sweet recipes they are easy to come by which use the real thing, like on BBC Good Food.

Picture credit: Lin Vu