Three best pumpkin recipes to try this Halloween

From a scrumptious, savoury pumpkin pie to easy-to-make muffins, follow The Field's three best pumpkin recipes for our spookily super suggestions

Ensure your Halloween lantern is devoured rather than dumped with our best pumpkin recipes. From a savoury pumpkin pie guaranteed to impress to simple yet scrumptious muffins, what use will your lantern be put to this All Hallows’ Eve?

The pumpkin is the symbol of autumn and all things spooky, yet is a relative newcomer. Discover how it bested the humble turnip in party popularity, read the pumpkin: how it stole the turnip’s thunder.

BEST PUMPKIN RECIPES: PUMPKIN, STILTON AND BLACK PUDDING PIE

One of the #PumpkinRescue best pumpkin recipes from food blogger NotWasted. For more of their best pumpkin recipes and Pumpkin Rescue information can be found on the website www.hubbub.org.uk.

Serves 4

For the filling

• Half large pumpkin
• 500g (171⁄2oz) squash (eg onion squash)
• 1 bulb garlic
• 1 red onion
• Olive oil
• 1 tsp chilli flakes
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 sprig rosemary, plus a little extra
• 1 bay leaf
• 300g (101⁄2fl oz) cream
• 75g (21⁄2oz) Stilton
• 3 medium-sized eggs, beaten
• 30g (1oz) black pudding
• 6 sage leaves

For the pastry

• 250g (9oz) butter (softened)
• 300g (101⁄2oz) flour
• Pinch sea-salt
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• Milk
• 50g (13⁄4oz) black pudding
• 1 medium-sized egg, beaten, for wash

Preheat oven to 200°C/400°F/Gas Mark 6. Peel, deseed and dice the pumpkin and squash, discarding the bruised areas for composting. Chop off the top of the garlic exposing the tips of all the cloves, and slice the onion about 1cm (2⁄ in) thick from the root.

On large oven tray combine half the pumpkin, the squash, sliced onion and garlic bulb. Drizzle with oil, and sprinkle on chilli flakes, salt and pepper and cook until soft and caramelised (roughly 50 minutes). Decrease the oven heat to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 5.

To make the pastry, combine the butter, flour and salt until evenly distributed – a sandy-like texture. Mix in the egg until it comes together into a dough, adding a little milk if too dry. Finely dice the black pudding and knead into the dough gently to retain the flecks of the pudding. Wrap in cling film and chill for 20 minutes.

Roll out into a 12in tart case, leaving the edge rough for a rustic looks. Blind bake for 10 minutes (cover pastry with baking parchment and fill with rice). Then take it out of the oven and brush with egg wash using one egg, and return to the oven for a further five minutes or until the pastry is golden.

To make the pumpkin mix using the retained pumpkin, place it in a saucepan with a garlic clove, sprig of rosemary, bay leaf, salt, pepper and the cream. Simmer until soft, then add a third of the Stilton and blend until smooth. Once cool whisk in 3 eggs and set aside.

Change the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 4. Take the garlic from the roasting tin and separate the cooked garlic from the skin, chop roughly and combine with the pumpkin mix, adjusting the seasoning if needed. Pour the pumpkin mix into the tart case, and fill with the roast chopped pumpkin and squash and onion. Crumble over black pudding, remaining Stilton, the sage leaves and a bit of rosemary, drizzle in oil and put in oven until set (approximately 30 minutes).

BEST PUMPKIN RECIPES: RUBIES IN THE RUBBLE PUMPKIN CHUTNEY

What better way to preserve pumpkin than to make chutney with it?

• 1 tbsp oil
• 2 tsp dried chilli flakes
• 1 tsp cinnamon powder
• 80g (24⁄5oz) fresh ginger
• 1 tsp paprika
• Pumpkin seeds (optional)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 400ml (14fl oz) cider vinegar
• 150g (51⁄5oz) sultanas
• 500g (171⁄2oz) sugar
• 750g (261⁄2oz) pumpkin, diced 1cm (2⁄5in)
• 400g (14oz) apple, peeled, diced 1cm (2⁄5in)

Put the oil in a pan with the chilli flakes, cinnamon, fresh ginger, paprika (and pumpkin seeds if adding). Heat through being careful the spices don’t burn.

Add the chopped onion and cook through for five minutes, then add the vinegar, sultanas and sugar. Stir until boiling and the sugar dissolves. Add the pumpkin and apple and cook until the chutney is thick and the pumpkin is cooked through (this could take two hours).

Taste and vary spices according to your liking, then put into dry, clean jars and start decorating your label.

BEST PUMPKIN RECIPES: PUMPKIN MUFFINS

It seemed only right to give a nod to pumpkins’ roots with this mighty muffin recipe.

Serves 12

• 400g (141⁄2oz) pumpkin deseeded and roughly chopped
• 350g (121⁄4oz) light soft brown sugar
• 4 large free-range or organic eggs
• Sea-salt
• 300g (101⁄2oz) plain flour, unsifted
• 2 heaped tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 175ml (6fl oz) extra virgin olive oil
• 300g (101⁄2oz) icing sugar, sifted
• 50g (13⁄4oz) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 125g (42⁄5oz) cream cheese, cold
• Pumpkin seeds

Preheat the oven to 180 C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. Line 12 muffin tins with paper cases.

Place the pumpkin in a food processor and add sugar and eggs before blending.

Add a pinch of salt, the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and olive oil and pulse together until mixed.

Fill 12 muffin cases with the cake mixture and bake in the preheated oven for 20 to 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven and leave the cakes to cool on a wire rack.

Beat the icing sugar and butter together with an electric hand whisk and then add the cream cheese, keep whisking until the frosting is fluffy.

Ice muffins when cool and scatter pumpkin seeds on top.