The thing about pumpkin, Steve, is pie, and that’s associated with the American Thanksgiving holiday, which is massively more emotive and/or evocative than English harvest festivals or the Canadian version of Thanksgiving. Almost as powerful as Christmas. I am quite satisfied to eat pumpkin pie about once per year, myself. Himself, on the other hand, would eat it every week if I would make it that often.

Now squash is another matter. (Yes, I know it’s botanically almost indistinguishable from pumpkin.) I cannot get squash past Himself’s teeth unless it’s in a certain Moroccan stew I make occasionally and serve with couscous. I like it baked, stewed, steamed, roasted before a quick fire — you name it, but I have to eat it alone. I haven’t tried mixing it with custard and serving it in a pastry case, however. Not that desperate yet.