Wellbeing

Zero Waste Pumpkins: Our favourite recipes

After fully embracing an eco-friendly pumpkin season in our last seasonal blog, here are the promised ways to use up your pumpkins…

Make Your Own Pumpkin Latte

Autumn simply isn’t Autumn without a flood of latte’s sporting new flavours. The most autumnal of all is, of course, the Pumpkin Latte. You could dash into your local coffee shop and buy one but making your own is not only better for the environment and your purse, but you are in control of what goes in and what doesn’t. Helping you to not only use up your pumpkin leftovers but also avoid any additives, too much sugar or anything else that may be lurking in a shop made latte. Plus, it is super fun and easy to do.

  • 475ml milk
  • 3 tablespoons pureed pumpkin (go for more or less depending on your taste preference)
  • 1 tablespoon light brown sugar
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 teaspoon each of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and ginger
  • 120ml hot brewed strong coffee

Whisk together the milk, pumpkin puree and the light brown sugar in a saucepan over a medium heat. Make sure to stir frequently and do not let it boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and whisk in the spices and vanilla. Then add the coffee and whisk until frothy.
You can add sugar to sweeten if you wish and if you’re going all out and feeling really naughty finish with a dollop of whipped cream on top. And for the vegans among you, track down some of the dairy-free stuff!


Pumpkin Pie: An American Fall Classic

Pumpkin Pie, an American Autumn must-have, has made its way across the pond and has become part of tasty British tradition too. This is a great recipe to try out and use up those pumpkin carving leftovers.

  • 750g pumpkin peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks
  • Shortcrust pastry tart case
  • 140g caster sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ tsp fresh nutmeg, grated
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 25g butter, melted
  • 175ml milk
  • 1 tbsp icing sugar

Preheat your oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Cover the pumpkin with water and simmer in a large lidded saucepan for 15 minutes, then drain and let it cool. Push the cooled pumpkin through a sieve into a big bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the sugar, salt, nutmeg and half the cinnamon together. Mix in the beaten eggs, melted butter and milk, then stir it all into the pumpkin purée. Pour into the tart case and cook for 10 mins, then reduce the temperature to 180C/160C fan/gas 4 and continue to bake for 35 mins until the filling has just about set. Mix the rest of the cinnamon with the icing sugar and dust over the pie once it has cooled. Best served cool.

Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

Remember we told you to keep the seeds after scooping out the pumpkin gloop? We hope you did! Because these nutritious seeds are high in many essential vitamins and minerals, antioxidants and fibre, making these an easy, delicious and healthy Halloween snack!

Simple wash and dry the seeds, toss in oil, season with your choice of spices and flavourings (sweet or savoury – the choice is yours!) and roast for around 15 minutes (or until golden brown) at 170 degree C heat.

Natural Pumpkin Skincare

Now you’ve given you insides a treat, a final way to use your pumpkin rather than letting it go to waste is making your own natural beauty products. Although this may seem daunting at first it really could not be easier! Here are a few organic beauty essentials to get you through the coming cold season using your pumpkin and a few store cupboard staples.

Look after forgotten fingers.

If your hands are feeling hard done by after all the carving this hand revitaliser is exactly what you need. Mix together 1 teaspoon of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of honey and roughly 50g of pumpkin puree. Massage the mixture into your hands for a couple of minutes (or as long as you have spare!) and then rinse with warm water. Your hands will thank you and feel lovely and cared for. If you feel like mixing it up a bit next time around switch the olive oil for almond oil.

Brighten your complexion on dull autumn days.

Mix around 50g of mashed pumpkin, 2 tbs of brown sugar, 2 tbs of ground coffee and 1 tsp of freshly grated ginger into a bowl. Once combined gently massage the scrub onto wet skin for one or two minutes using your fingertips in small circular motions. Then rinse well with warm water and pat dry. Adding antioxidant-rich pumpkin to sugar (a fantastic natural exfoliant) creates a gentle way to banish dead skin cells. The caffeine in the ground coffee boosts circulation and the natural anti-inflammatory properties in ginger take care of unwanted free radicals making your skin glow.

Perfect your pout with pumpkin

So simple yet so effective. Combine ¼ tsp of pureed pumpkin with ½ tsp of fine sugar and ¼ tsp of coconut oil. Gently rub onto your lips and it will take care of any rough dry skin by gently exfoliating. Then simply lick it off, tasty and good for your skin! 

Clean up, the natural way

After all your pumpkin carving and reimagining of the leftovers there’s nothing left to do but treat the hub of your home to its own autumn overhaul. Getting your spotlessly clean kitchen back using only natural ingredients is easy with our handy kitchen set featuring the Tincture Iona washing up liquid, natural all purpose cleaner and natural floor concentrate. They are tough enough to handle grease and banish bacteria without resorting to blasting them with harsh chemicals. Perfect.