Yield 1 x medium loaf

Ingredients:
650 g butternut pumpkin, boiled and mashed
100 g butter, softened
1 1/2 C brown sugar
2 eggs
2 C S.R. flour
1/2 t bicarb soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t cloves

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 180°C. Grease base and sides of a loaf pan. Line with baking paper, allowing a 2cm overhang at both long ends.
2. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add eggs and beat until well combined. Stir in pumpkin.
3. Sift flour, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves over pumpkin mixture.
4. Stir gently to combine. Spoon into prepared pan.
5. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Stand in pan for 10 minutes. Lift onto a wire rack. Serve warm or cold.

A heartwarming winter favourite. The stuff you buy on supermarket shelves does not do pumpkins justice. So if you want to have pumpkin soup, make it from the real deal.

Ingredients:
1 kg pumpkin, chopped
60 g butter
1 onion, diced
4 C chicken stock
1/2 C milk
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:
1. Heat butter and cook onions gently until softened in stockpot.
2. Add pumpkin and stock.
3. Simmer for 20 minutes until the pumpkin is tender.
4. Blend soup until smooth.
5. Return soup to low heat and add milk, stirring gently.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.
7. Serve.