Pumpkin patch work

If you have read this blog for any length of time you will know I am a real fan of pumpkin spice, favourites being a Starbucks pumpkin spice latte and a special edition pumpkin spice Baileys.

Pumpkin has also landed on top of my pizzas, appeared in flans, tarts and risottos and even made it to the breakfast table and dessert.

One of the nicest things I've done this week was to visit a pumpkin farm near Harrogate in Yorkshire. Grab yourself a wheelbarrow and head into a pumpkin patch to literally pick your own. Unlike strawberries or raspberries, it doesn't take long, although it's exciting trying to find the perfect specimen. Give it a wash, pay for it and, if you wish, take it to the carving barn.

After this autumnal exercise it was time for lunch - pumpkin soup naturally!