1. Sandwich filling: Peel, seed then slice the pumpkkin into thin (5 mm) pieces and toss in olive oil, salt and pepper before roasting in a 200 degrees celcius oven for about 10 minutes. Allow it to cool, then use it as a sandwich filling. The pumpkin can be kept in the fridge for 3-4 days. Try the combining the pumpkin with rocket, feta and walnuts on La Madre’s Seeded Sourdough bread or the add pumpkin with baby spinach, pesto and goat’s cheese on La Madre’s Olive Sourdough bread. Have them fresh or toasted. YUM!

2. Warm roasted: Peel, seed and cut the pumpkin into wedges before roasting it with a little olive oil in a 200 degrees celcius oven for about 15 minutes. Serve warm with some sautéed mushroom, a drizzle of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) and a sprinkle of balsamic vinegar. This is a nice accompaniment to roast chicken or just on its own with some slices of grilled sourdough bread.

3. Pumpkin soup: Peel, seed and chop a butternut pumpkin. Sweat with olive oil and butter in a heavy based pot with 1 chopped onion, 2 cloves of garlic and a chopped peeled potato. It’s best to do this on medium heat with a lid on. Once it’s well sweated, cover with a white stock (chicken or vegetable), bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer until the pumpkin pieces are soft. Blend with a stab mixer (bamix) while incorporating ½ cup of cream. Season to taste.

4. Roast bed: For your next Sunday roast, have pieces of unpeeled pumpkin tossed in olive oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Then place them on a roasting tray with some potatoes, pieces of leek and carrots as a roast bed. Place the meat on top of this bed then roast until cooked as you desire. The vegetables will be nicely cooked if the cooking time is about 1 hour. While cooking all the juices from the meat will fall onto the vegetable giving them extra flavour.