The pumpkin has been carved, the candles have been lit and your little monster is staring in wonder at the finished result.

But what to do with the pumpkin innards sitting in a soppy pile and threatening to dribble off the chopping board?

5 things to do with pumpkin innards

1. Assemble the flesh and seeds so they are spewing out of the pumpkin’s mouth like sick. Brownie points for extra gruesomeness.

2. Roast the seeds and sprinkle on salads or eat as a tasty snack. Just coat with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake in the oven until the seeds start to pop.

3. Make pumpkin pesto. (No I’m not making it up). Just follow the steps in suggestion 2, then put the seeds in a food processor with a quarter of a cup of water, 2tbsp of fresh lemon juice, 3 cloves of garlic, 1 cup of fresh parsley and 4 tbsp of olive oil. Blitz until the mixture forms a coarse paste and season. Voila.

4. Make pumpkin pie with the remaining flesh: take your pick from these amazing recipes on Pinterest.

5. Put the innards on the compost heap. Apparently they make great fertilizer because they’re packed with soil-loving nutrients. Chop the flesh up so it decomposes faster, then sprinkle round your roses in the spring.

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