It's Pumpkin Season!
So, most people associate pumpkin simply with Halloween, but Halloween really marks the very beginning of the delicious pumpkin season!
History
Pumpkin is a type of winter squash that belongs to the Cucurbitaceae family. While commonly viewed as a vegetable, pumpkin is scientifically a fruit, as it contains seeds. That said, it’s nutritionally more similar to vegetables than fruits.
Pumpkin is a plump, nutritious orange vegetable, and a highly nutrient dense food whilst also being crammed full of delicious flavour. It is low in calories but rich in vitamins and minerals, all of which are also in its seeds, leaves, and juices.
There are many ways to incorporate pumpkin into a wide array of amazingly tasty foods such as desserts, soups, salads, preserves, and even as a substitute for butter!
Health Benefits
Pumpkin has a range of fantastic benefits, including being one of the best-known sources of beta carotene. Beta carotene is a powerful antioxidant that gives orange vegetables and fruits their vibrant colour. The body converts any ingested beta carotene into vitamin A.
Apart from providing a natural boost of vitamin A, pumpkin is also linked to a long list of additional health benefits. Various studies have shown that diets rich in beta-carotene can help regulate good blood pressure levels, also reduce the risk of some cancers, specifically prostate cancer, help people control diabetes and their blood sugar levels and is also known to help protect against age-related eye problems.
Our Favourite Pumpkin Recipes
When autumn weather falls, it’s time to break out the pumpkin recipes and here are three of our favourites: -
Seasonal Pumpkin Offerings at our Cafés
Cooks&Partners is all about using the very finest quality and seasonal ingredients and so we will be serving the following delicious pumpkin inspired dishes throughout the months of November and December in our Cafés.
We will be introducing a new and delicious sage roasted pumpkin and salt beef sandwich filling, serving hot pumpkin quesadillas and lastly we will be making homemade, creamy, pumpkin soup daily to keep you warm through the winter months!
Additionally, on the ‘Events’ side of the business, we will be bringing back our ever-popular Pumpkin risotto with shredded corn fed chicken, crispy chicken skin, pumpkin seeds and artichoke foam’ to our autumn / winter menus . . .
