As Halloween is approaching, don’t let your carefully picked pumpkins go to waste!

This year try turning your pumpkins into delicious warming recipes. Not only is a fun activity for the weekend; it’s an eco-friendly step toward reducing food waste.

An article in The Guardian (2020) reports that ‘Over half of the UK’s 24 million Halloween pumpkins are destined for food waste’. Shockingly only 42% of pumpkin pickers realise that the insides of a pumpkin are edible. With a touch of creativity and baking you can make your autumn staples last beyond Halloween. The environmental group highlights the importance of recycling your pumpkins stating, ‘every pumpkin eaten is a step towards tackling the 6.6m tonnes of food and drink thrown away in the UK homes every year’.

Here are a few ideas for make the most of your pumpkin:

Pumpkin Soup

Picture this; yourself curled up by the fire with a hearty bowl of pumpkin soup. This dish isn’t just delicious meal but nutritious. Even better, you can make a large batch and freeze it for up to three months, giving you an easy, ready-made meal for when you don’t feel like cooking.

Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin pie may be an American Thanksgiving classic, but there is no reason Brits shouldn’t get on board. We’ve embraced pumpkin spiced lattes till our heart content, so why not try the real thing?

DIY Pumpkin Spice Lattes

Speaking of the devil, why not make your own at home. Not only will this save you money, but you’ll also make great use of your leftover pumpkin insides.

Important Notice: These recipes work best with uncarved and uncut pumpkins. Once you cut into a pumpkin, it’s best to use the insides within two hours to avoid the food poisoning, once exposed pumpkins can quickly spoil.

Let’s make the most of our pumpkins and give them a second life in the kitchen!