We teamed up with Hope Batchelor from @toast_with_hope to give the humble Halloween pumpkin a second act!  

Combining spiced pumpkin, apple, citrus and Neck Oil IPA, this shareable serve transforms an ordinary pumpkin into the ultimate party centrepiece.  

Plus, with maple-smoked pumpkin seeds as a snack on the side, nothing goes to waste. 

INGREDIENTS 

For the spiced pumpkin & ginger syrup:

• 240g pumpkin puree 
• 220g light brown sugar 
• 150g maple syrup 
• ¼ tsp allspice 
• ¼ tsp ground cloves 
• ¼ tsp ginger power 
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg 
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon 
• pinch of flaky salt 
• pint of water 

For the maple-smoked pumpkin seeds:

• Seeds from the pumpkin, cleaned and dried 
• 1 tbsp maple syrup 
• 1 tsp olive oil 
• ½ tsp smoked paprika 
• Good pinch flaky sea salt 

METHOD 

For the pumpkin & ginger syrup: 

1. Hollow out your pumpkin, setting aside seeds for snacking later. 
2. Blend the pumpkin flesh into a puree.  
3. Add the puree and remaining ingredients together, whisk to combine into a smooth mix 
4. Add to a saucepan and simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened into a syrup 
5. Set aside to cool fully 

For the maple-smoked pumpkin seeds:

1. Pat the reserved pumpkin seeds dry, then toss with maple syrup, olive oil, smoked paprika and salt. 
2. Roast at 180°C fan for around 12–15 minutes, stirring halfway, until crisp and golden. 

For building the punch bowl:

1. Hollow out your pumpkin. 
2. Pop a drinks pouch with a tap inside the pumpkin and cut a hole for the spout. If you're keeping things simple, just pour the punch straight into the pumpkin and serve with a ladle. 
3. Add 300ml spiced pumpkin & ginger syrup, 600ml cloudy apple juice, 200ml fresh orange juice, juice from half a lemon. Give it a good stir. 
4. To serve, fill your pint glass with ⅓ of the punch mix and top with an ice cold Neck Oil.