Hallowe'en

Hallowe'en (31 October) fell within week 15 of our austerity budget, so pumpkins formed the base of many meals. The weather is much colder now and the lure of spicy soups and  stews is strong.

Pumpkins are everywhere you turn, in the supermarkets, allotments and farms despite this being a bad year to grow them (too cold and wet). These common pumpkins are not the nicest to eat but make a reasonable soup when spiced with ginger and chilli. My favourite is the dark green and densely fleshed Japanese kabocha squash, which holds its shape well when roasted and stirred into a spelt risotto with spinach, chestnuts, sage and goats cheese.

Despite the budget, we still need a sweet treat, so a rich and dark chocolate brownie studded with walnuts and sharp red cranberries provided an excellent partner to many cups of tea. This used a recipe torn from one of the weekend papers from some weeks ago and annoyingly, I've since lost it. Still, recipes adapt in any case so I will make this again from memory.