Preparation

Blend the flesh into smooth, thick soups, finished with a swirl of cream - a small pumpkin can provide a satisfying meal for one. Bake small pumpkins and stuff with rice and spices such as cinnamon, hot chillies and cumin. Or roast thick slices and serve with a chunky tomato sauce.

Sweet dishes need not be limited to pumpkin pie. Stir puréed pumpkin into a cheesecake filling for a less sickly take on this decadent dessert. Or try making pumpkin halwa – the nutty flavour of the pumpkin flesh blends well with the other nuts and seeds. Roasted pumpkin seeds are great on their own as snacks and can be incorporated into flapjacks and biscuits, or used to garnish tarts and cakes.