Don’t let your pumpkin go to waste this Hallowe’en

Published23rd October 2020

It is estimated that of the 24million pumpkins carved each year in Britain for Hallowe’en, more than half of all these pumpkins are not eaten.

To help tackle pumpkin waste, pioneering food saving campaign #FoodSavvy (a partnership between the Suffolk Waste Partnership, Norfolk County Council and environmental charity Hubbub) has launched Pumpkin Rescue, a campaign to scare away this potential food waste horror-show and inspire the public to value the humble pumpkin.

The Pumpkin Rescue campaign will encourage people to #EatYourPumpkin by providing lots of tasty recipes from warming pumpkin soup, to Thai pumpkin Curry, pumpkin ice-cream and many more sweet and savoury pumpkin delights.

The recipes will be freely available on the Food Savvy website. Alongside this, there are 3 digital Pumpkin cook alongs where chefs will show you how to cook some delicious pumpkin dishes. The details for these as well as lots of ideas for Halloween activities for kids can be found on www.foodsavvy.org.uk.

Cllr James Mallinder, Chairman of the Suffolk Waste Partnership said “There will be a lot of change around Halloween this year and one of those changes, we hope, is that everyone will try to make the most out of their pumpkins. Food waste is a serious issue across the UK and Suffolk is no different. So why not get your money’s worth and embark on a new Halloween tradition by making some delicious pumpkin pie or some warming pumpkin soup – both will be a real treat as the weather begins to turn colder. Together, by taking part in the Pumpkin Rescue campaign, we really can make a difference this Halloween.”

And it is not just eating the inside of the pumpkin that will make a difference. Through the Pumpkin Rescue campaign, Food Savvy is also urging people to think carefully about what to do when they have cooked their carved pumpkins, by putting any remains in the compost bin or putting them out for the birds to enjoy.