Autumn is a really beautiful time in any British location; the leaves start turn to an orange, you begin to stoke your fires up at home and who could miss the brisk mornings and night’s drawing in? Dinner times swap from salads to stews, and during a night on the town, the great debate of coat or no coat begins, and now there is even more excuse to snuggle in on the weekends too.
An area that can’t be missed is that of the celebrations that go on and with that, we are talking the biggies like Christmas, Halloween and Bonfire night. All of which come with their own unique traditions and I don’t think any come greater than that of the plump pumpkin? Every year, the nation ploughs through thousands of the orange beasts, but where they are going wrong is they’re wasting all the good stuff. It’s more than a decoration to scare kids away so you don’t have to give them sweets; it’s a superb ingredient as well.
So, here are the best ways pumpkins can be, and will be used this Halloween, ensuring that you get the most out of the seasonal gem…
Pumpkin Soup…
The perfect meal for any starter chef; a soup. Just chuck your chunks of pumpkin flesh into a boiling broth of water, add a stock cube and blitz it with a blender until smooth. Drop in flakes of cooked bacon to enchant the meal with a smoky, yet meaty flavour.
Pumpkin Salsa…
Readily available at many farm shops and supermarkets, pumpkin salsa is a refreshing change from your mundane tomato edition. Bring your lunchtimes back to life by adding a few spoonfuls to your sandwich, and really get in the autumn spirit with this unique, yet tantalising flavour.
Pumpkin Chilli…
Chilli is a hearty and warming autumn dish, and you can really bulk it out and bring the seasonal spirit to the grub by adding some diced pumpkin. Not only that, but you can scoop out the inner of a mini pumpkin to serve you chilli in and this makes for some brilliant presentation in a party situation.
Pumpkin Waffles…
Purée some pumpkin and mix it in with your favourite batter combination, and sha-ting, you have pumpkin waffles. Although a bit of an effort to make yourself, your local waffle house will more than likely have this on the menu, so get down there and try some now. If not, tell them to get it on the menu and don’t forget to throw a dollop of spiced cream on top too. Mmm… Delicious.
Pumpkin Seeds…
That’s right! these are edible too, so don’t throw them in the bin! Simply scatter them on a tray, sprinkle them with some seasonal spice (nutmeg, cinnamon and brown sugar are diamonds here) and roast away. Remove them from the oven after they start to colour and you have yourself a delicious snack.
Pumpkin Latte…
Even lattes can be kissed with the love of autumn and it’s no secret that you can find this seasonal exclusive at any high street coffee shop. You just know as soon as these bad boys have come from the barista’s hands, that not only is Halloween around the corner but Christmas is too. And we can’t say we’re complaining because they are lush!
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