Jack o' Lantern Soup

I made this deliciously warming soup out of the pumpkin flesh left over from making a Jack-o'-Lantern for Halloween.

For 400g of pumpkin flesh use 600ml of chicken stock, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp mixed spice, 1/4 tsp chilli powder and a squeeze of lemon juice.
Sweat the garlic in a little oil over a low heat for a minute or two. Add the pumpkin followed by the spices. After a minute or two more, pour over the stock. Simmer for 10 minutes or so until the pumpkin is cooked. Add the lemon and blend until the soup is smooth and creamy. Spoon on a swirl of cream before serving.

A good tip from a friend of mine (thank you Shifty!), to use up the seeds of the punmkin, is to roast them in the oven with some salt and chilly powder; makes a great snack!