So you’ve got your Halloween pumpkin, opened it up and scooped out the guts- now what?! Well don’t throw them away- try this soup instead!! The mascarpone does add a little special something but if you don’t have any- add some double cream instead.

Ingredients-

1 onion

2 sticks of celery

2 cloves of garlic 

2 carrots 

The insides of your Halloween pumpkin with seeds removed

Any bits of the pumpkin you cut out to make a face

1 pint vegetable or chicken stock

1 tsp dried thyme

2 tablespoons of mascarpone

Pepper

Dice the onions, chop the garlic, carrots and celery. Remove the skin and chop any bits of pumpkin you saved from carving (keep the slimy pulp separate)

In a large pan heat two tablespoons of oil

Add the onions and cook on a medium heat for 5mins to soften

Add the garlic, carrots, celery and large pieces of pumpkin and stir to cover with oil

Reduce the heat to low and cover. Leave to sweat for 5-10mins

Now add the pulp or ‘guts’ of the pumpkin

Then add the stock

And the thyme. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer for 15-20minutes until the veg is soft

Blend the soup into a smooth paste

Add a generous amount of black pepper- yes plenty of it!

Remove from the heat and stir through the mascarpone until it’s melted in.

Enjoy! It doesn’t get much more autumnal than this!!