Spice up your autumn with a feisty pumpkin laksa!

This month's recipe for a spicy laksa which feeds 4-6 is made with spices from some of our gifts and is niftily served in a pumpkin. It is just the ticket for feeding chilly crowds on Halloween or bonfire night.

• 1 large pumpkin 1-1.5 kg
• 2 tbsp groundnut oil
• 2 lemon grass stalks, trimmed and roughly chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
• 3 fresh red chillies, stalks and seeds removed
• 1 large thumb of fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 limes, zested
• 2 medium red onions, halved and thinly sliced
• 500ml vegetable or chicken stock
• A tin of coconut milk
• 4 medium tomatoes, chopped into 1cm cubes
• 4 kaffir lime leaves
• 3 tsp or an equivalent chunk of palm sugar
• 2-3 tbsp fish sauce
• 2-3 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 handfuls of baby spinach
• Large handful of chopped fresh coriander

Preheat oven to 180/160 fan/gas 4. Cut a thick ‘lid’ from the top of the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and fibres. Replace the lid and roast for 60-90 minutes, until the pumpkin flesh has softened and the shell still retains its shape.

Whilst the pumpkin is roasting, place one tablespoon of oil, the lemon grass, garlic, chillies, ginger and lime zest into a mini-processor and blitz to a paste.

Heat the remaining oil in a heavy based saucepan and gently fry the onions until soft. Turn up the heat a little and add the paste, frying for another 4 minutes. Add the stock, coconut milk, tomatoes and kaffir lime leaves, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for five minutes. Stir in the palm sugar and fish sauce, add soy sauce to taste, and set aside.

When the pumpkin is ready, scoop out the flesh, leaving the outer shell intact. Add the pumpkin to the soup, warm through, season and stir in the spinach. Ladle the soup into the pumpkin shell, top with chopped coriander and serve immediately.