If you’re planning on trying out some of our creative DIY pumpkin ideas for your Halloween table, you will be left with endless amounts of pumpkin flesh for the bin. But when this tasty ingredient can be the source of a frightfully delicious Halloween meal, why waste it? We have two of our favourite mouth-watering pumpkin recipe ideas to add a little warmth to your chilling night…

Pumpkin soup with créme fraiche and bacon

Takes 1 hour – Serves 4

You will need: 50g butter,  2 onions (sliced), 900g chopped pumpkin flesh (roughly 2 pumpkins), 4 rashers of smoked bacon (chopped), 1tbsp fresh thyme leaves, 1tbsp brown sugar,  600ml milk, 600ml chicken or vegetable stock, Créme fraiche to serve

Follow these simple steps:

 1. Melt the butter in our Large Sophie Conran for Portmeirion Casserole, add the sliced onions and fry gently for 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped pumpkin flesh, bacon rashers, thyme leaves and brown sugar and cook for a further few minutes.

 2. Pour in the milk and chicken or vegetable stock, then cover and leave to simmer for 30 minutes. Puree two ladleful’s of the soup then pour back into the pan to thicken the mixture.

 3. Serve, topped with a generous spoonful of créme fraiche and a scattering of thyme leaves and some crusty bread!

 Recipe: housetohome

Sticky ginger pumpkin cake


Takes 55 mins – Serves 12

You will need:  500g pumpkin flesh, chopped 250ml sunflower oil, 300g dark muscovado, sugar, 3 eggs, 225g self-raising flour, 1tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1tbsp ground ginger, 1/2tsp ground cinnamon, 1/2tsp ground mixed spice. For the filling and topping: 250g mascarpone, 50g golden icing sugar, 300ml double cream (whipped), 150g stem ginger in syrup (drained), 400g canned pears (drained and sliced), 50g pecans, 2tbsp maple syrup.

Follow these simple steps:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C/Gas 4. Grease and line three 18cm cake tins. Put the pumpkin into a heatproof bowl with 1tbsp water. Cover with clingfilm and pierce a few times. Microwave on high for 10 mins. Cool for 2 mins then whizz in a processor until smooth.

2. Whisk the oil, sugar and eggs in our Sophie Conran for Portmeirion Mixing Bowl for 3 mins until thick and pale. Sift and fold in the remaining cake ingredients, then fold in the pumpkin. Divide the mixture between the tins. Bake for 30 mins until cooked through.

3. Mix the mascarpone and icing sugar, fold in the cream and 1tbsp ginger syrup. Once cooled, put one cake on a stand, spread over half the mascarpone mix, then arrange pear slices on top. Top with another cake, spread on the remaining mascarpone, slice the ginger and place on top. Add the last cake, decorate with pear slices, pecans and maple syrup.

Recipe: Woman