THE weather is turning colder and the nights are drawing in – which must mean two things.

One, warming soup is now back on the menu and, two, it is pumpkin time again.

I always find that by the time Halloween comes around I am thinking about mixing up a large batch of soup and freezing some to have over the coming weeks.

And, given the time of year, what better soup than pumpkin to see off those mid-autumn chills.

There are no farmers’ markets next weekend so you need to head out to St Peter’s Garden Centre today to pick up your own, locally-grown pumpkin.

Some of these will be perfect for creating ghoulish faces and scaring the neighbours, while others will be better suited for cooking.

Pumpkins will keep for months in a cool, dark place, so there’s no rush for you to try out this recipe. Why not pick up a couple at today’s farmers’ market – one for cutting and one for eating.

Cut pumpkins, however, should be cooked within a few days as they go mouldy quite quickly.

PUMPKIN SOUP
Serves four
Ingredients
Half a medium-sized pumpkin, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
100ml extra virgin olive oil
2 medium brown onions, diced
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 celery sticks, sliced
Sea salt
Freshly ground white pepper
400g tin whole peeled tomatoes, chopped roughly
2 bay leaves
1 litre vegetable stock

Method

Preheat your oven to 180C/ gas mark 4. Place pumpkin on a tray and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Roast until golden and soft - about 20 minutes.

Heat remaining olive oil in a large pot. Cook onion, garlic and celery over a medium heat for 20 minutes or until soft and starting to colour. Season with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes, bay leaf and stock. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add pumpkin and simmer a further five minutes before serving.

Today’s farmers’ market is at St Peter’s Garden Centre, near Worcester, from 9.30am until 2pm. There are no markets next weekend, the next one is in Victoria Square, Droitwich, from 9am until 2pm on Saturday, November 6, and then in Angel Place, Worcester, from 9am until 3pm on Sunday, November 7.