Make | a pumpkin beer keg

Because there’s lots more fun to be had with a pumpkin than just carving it

Fancy making this pumpking beer keg as a centrepiece for your own pumpkin party or Halloween celebrations? Of course you do! You’re only human! Inserting a spigot into a hollowed-out pumpkin will transform it into a keg that’ll give your favourite tipple a subtle flavour and keep it cool till pumpkin time.

You will need

Pumpkin Knife
Spoon
Ruler
Spigot (tap)
Sharpie
Drill
Seasonal beer

1 Cut off the crown of the pumpkin and set aside. Scoop out all of the pumpkin seeds (save the seeds to toast later if you wish). 
2 After measuring the diameter of your spigot, select a drill bit 2mm smaller so your spigot will fit snugly and be ‘beer tight’. 
3 Mark and drill a hole towards the base of the pumpkin. Insert the spigot into the hole. 
4 Fill with seasonal beer and replace the crown. 
5 Allow to infuse for a couple of hours and enjoy. 

This make was first featured in our Pumpkin Party ‘Gathering’ in our October 2019 issue, with recipes by Bex Long, including beetroot raita, parsnip soup, acorn squash with chermoula dressing, sausage rolls, kale, walnut and pomegranate salad and more. It’s so autumnal it’s enough to burnish your conkers. You can buy a copy of the back issue from our online store.

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More from our October 2023 issue…

More pumpkinspiration…

Pumpkin varieties | What are they gourd for?

Perplexed by the plethora of pumpkins now available? Don’t have a pumpkin panic. Here’s our gourd guide to what to do with which types of pumpkins, gourds and squash

Squash ‘Crown Prince’
This blue-hued variety, which has the look of a crown has a velvety texture and a good flavour that’s excellent for soup.

Pumpkin ‘Black Futsu’
Beautifully shaped, with ‘segments’ that cut pleasingly into wedges, this variety has a treacly taste when it’s roasted. Pop the chunks in the oven with olive oil, herbs and spices, or even a little honey for extra ‘stick’ and serve as an alternative to potato wedges. Great with sausages.

‘Munchkin’ Pumpkins
Very cute and ideal for autumnal displays, these also make a very cute teatime treat. Cut the tops off, scoop out the seeds, fill the cavity with anything tasty from the fridge – chorizo, grated cheese, nuts, onions etc – and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes before eating with a spoon like a boiked egg.

Onion squash
Named for their oniony shape, rather than flavour, these are great at taking on flavour and go beautifully with rosemary and garlic. Slice into wedges, roast on a bed of rosemary, with garlic cloves scattered around, and serve with couscous and halloumi or grilled lamb or chicken and plenty of herbs and spices.

Gem squash
Deep green, small and round, there are not to be confused with a round courgette. They’re great in soup but their size makes them ideal for roasting whole, stuffed with grains, veggies and herbs and spices.

Spaghetti squash
This large squash turns into fabulous, tender strings when cooked. Just cute the large, yellow squash in half lengthways. Pop a couple of knobs of butter in the middle of each half and roast until a fork goes into it easily. Gently ‘fork up’ the strands of squash, season with olive oil and parmesan and eat like spaghetti – or use the strands in place of pasta sheets in a lasagne.

Butternut squash
You might be a fan of butternut squash in rissotos or pasta but its naturally sweet flavour and smooth texture when pureed makes it an excellent choice for a good old American style pumpkin pie.

Goosebump pumpkins
Bright orange, warty, and slightly scary looking, goosebump pumpkins are delicious but the best variety for carving into terrifying faces and letting their warty flesh sing out.

We were inspired to find out more about pumpkins after we read our My Plot feature from our November issue, in which we met gourd guru David Grant-Suttie, owner of a thriving pumpkin patch at The Balgone Estate in North Berwick. Visit balgoneestate.co.uk to find out more, and pick up our November issue to meet David and his pumpkins.

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More from our blog…

More things to do with pumpkins…

Recipe | Mini Pumpkin Creme Brulees

Fire up that blowtorch. These unique crème brûlées taste just as good as they look.

Serves 4

4 mini pumpkins, tops sliced off (keep) and insides scooped out
300ml double cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 large egg yolks
3 tbsp caster sugar
4 tbsp light brown sugar

1 In a large pot of simmering water, add the prepared pumpkins (keep the lids in the fridge ). Simmer for about 10 mins, or until soft but not mushy. Remove , allow to cool a little and place in the fridge or freezer (you want them to be very cold when you pour in the custard) .

2 In a saucepan , add the cream and vanilla . Heat up, but do not let boil.

3 Whisk together the egg yolks and sugar. Still whisking , pour this into the warm cream and stir continuously over a low heat for about 10 mins , or until the custard starts to thicken.

4 Once it’s thick and your pumpkin bases are chilled, spoon in the custard , filling the pumpkins to the top. Leave to cool and then chill in the fridge . This can be done a few hours before your guests arrive.

5 Before serving, sprinkle each pumpkin with sugar, then grill for about 4 mins or use a blowtorch until the top is blistering but not burnt. Allow to cool a little , so the sugar creates a shell over the custard .

This recipe is just one of the delicious (and slightly spooky) ideas from our Trick and Treat menu in our October issue. The feature also includes Black Widow cocktails, Halloween Chicken and Leek Pie, Chestnuts wrapped in bacon and more autumnal ideas.

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More from our October issue…

More pumpkin makes…

Make | A Pumpkin Bird Feeder

Make pumpkins less scary and more carey for a variety of garden birds

As well as being delicious to eat at this time of year, pumpkins provide the basis for some simple crafts, too. In our October issue, we have a few fabulous ideas for things to do with pumpkins (other than carve them into scary faces). There are lots more ideas here on our website too. Pumpkin beer keg, anyone?

In the meantime, get started with this really easy-to-pull-off make.

You will need:

Small pumpkin or squash (we used a ‘Red Onion’ squash)
Knife, a spoon and a skewer
2 twigs, each about 12–15cm long
Twine, about 1.5m
Drawing pin
Bird seed

1 Halve the pumpkin horizontally and scoop out the seeds, leaving 2cm of flesh intact.

2 Using a skewer, make two holes, opposite each other and large enough to securely hold the twigs. Stick a twig into each hole.

3 Cut the twine in half. Holding the two pieces together, tie a knot in the centre. You should now have four lengths of twine, joined by a knot.

4 Turn the pumpkin upside down and secure the knot of your twine to the bottom of the pumpkin with a drawing pin. Turn up the right way and adjust the lengths of twine so that the pumpkin sits straight. Knot the four lengths together at the top.

5 Fill the pumpkin with seed and hang it outside for the birds to feast on.

Find the rest of the pumpkin craft ideas on p50 of our October issue.

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More fun with pumpkins…

More from our October issue…

Recipe | Ginger snaps

Crunchy, spicy biscuits ideal for eating with pumpkin ice cream

Our October issue has a very special ‘gathering’ feature with recipes for a pumpkin party. It’s got everything from autumnal salads to a fabulously moreish sausage roll and even a pumpkin beer keg. But we have made a date to create the pumpkin ice cream sandwiches pictured above - sweet pumpkin ice cream squidged between ginger snaps and rolled in pistachios. Who says ice cream is for summer?

You can make them using any shop-bought ginger snaps but if you fancy going the whole hog, you can make the ginger snaps using the recipe below.

Ginger snaps

Makes 24

225g plain flour

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tbsp ground ginger

Pinch of salt

120g unsalted butter

120g caster sugar

5 tbsp (75g) golden syrup

1 Preheat oven to 180C/Fan 160C/Gas 4. Line 2 baking trays with greaseproof

paper.

2 Sift the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and salt into a large

bowl. Cut the butter into cubes and rub into the flour until the mixture

resembles fine breadcrumbs.

3 Stir in the sugar. Add the golden syrup and mix together well. Bring it all

together with your hands to make a smooth ball of dough.

4 Break off small walnut-sized pieces, roll into balls and place on the lined

baking trays. Allow space between each ball as they will spread during cooking.

5 Bake for 10-15 mins until the ginger snaps have spread and turned golden

brown.

6 Leave to cool for 5 mins on the baking trays before using a spatula to

carefully move them to wire racks to cool completely.

Don’t forget to buy the October ‘create’ issue for the rest of the recipes for our pumpkin party.

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More biscuit inspiration…

More from our September issue…

Staple foods: 4. Squash and pumpkins

So much more than a Jack O’Lantern in waiting, make the most of your pumpkin this Halloween

The symbol of a season on the turn, a tool to ward off evil spirits and the fodder of fairytales – pumpkins are probably the most famous of all the winter squash, but are they the most delicious?

Related to cucumbers, courgettes and melons – and technically a fruit – these hardy squash come in a spectrum of shapes, sizes and colours, from dusky blues and creamy yellows to egg-yolk orange and moss green.

Pumpkins, which are native to America, are best known for their part in the Thanksgiving tradition (puréed with warming winter spices, as the filling for a sweet pie) or disembowelled and carved for Halloween.

They can be brewed into beer, grated into cakes, or simply mashed with butter – even the leaves and seeds can be eaten. But would you recognise the right squash for the job?

Extracted from Taste: The Infographic Book of Food by Laura Rowe, illustrations by Vicki Turner (Aurum Press, £20)

Download our free pumpkins booklet

More from the October issue:

More pumpkin posts:

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View the sampler here

Halloween: Pumpkin carving

What better way to see in the season than by gathering friends, family and a pile of big pumpkins…

Once pumpkins arrive you know autumn is really in full swing. Throw a pumpkin party: ask people to bring a small pumpkin as well as the one they’ll be carving.

Carve off the pumpkin tops and fill them with tea lights, votive candles or dried flowers and seedheads from the garden. Send everyone home with their pumpkin vase.

Tell stories as you carve of fancy dress disasters, maybe a ghost story you once heard or simply what the word ‘pumpkin’ brings to mind.

Eat pumpkin*, too – a pie is the obvious choice. But pumpkin and sage lasagne or pumpkin soup make for filling savoury dishes, especially accompanied by a mug of hot cider or two.

How to carve a pumpkin

YOU WILL NEED

Carving tools (a variety of spoons, knives and other tools for decorating
Cookie cutters (use a mallet to pound them through the pumpkin flesh)
Carving pumpkins 

TO MAKE

Place newspaper over a large table. Pile carving tools in the centre, plus a communal bowl for seeds and filling. 

When it comes to carving, there are no rules, just decorate whichever way you fancy. 

Extract from Handmade Gatherings by Ashley English. Photography by Jen Altman (Roost Books)

*Carving pumpkins are an altogether different prospect to eating varieties. Come back later this week to find out which types are best in which dishes.

Download our free pumpkins booklet:

More from the October issue:

More pumpkin posts:

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View the sampler here

How to use up discarded pumpkins

No need to jack in your jack-o-lantern: give it a new lease of life

Plant pot: Plant an annual within the soil-filled shell and dig into the ground. As it decomposes, it’ll fertilise your plant.

Compost: Put leaves inside the shell to speed the process. Break it into small pieces for a wormery.

Pumpkin printing: A potato printing alternative – cut into pieces and add paint.

Ant colony: Place your pumpkin near an existing colony (outside!). Honey or something sweet will bring all the ants to the gourd.

Bird feeder: We whipped one up last Halloween. Find out how to make a Halloween pumpkin bird feeder here. 

And a few suggestions from the internet that we don’t recommend:

Base for decorative floating candles: That’s likely to be one leaky vessel.

Eating it: Come November, it’s debatable how appetising your old Halloween lantern will look. 

More pumpkins! Here at The Simple Things, we love an outdoor gathering and Halloween is a great excuse to wrap up warm and enjoy all things pumpkin. Download our guide for how to use and eat pumpkins, and we’ve got a recipe for a bonfire parkin, too.  

And we could resist including this fella - knit a pumpkin hat (pattern from Cats in Hats by Sara Thomas (Hamlyn) octopusbooks.co.uk) 

Read more:

From the October issue

Pumpkin coconut curry recipe

Salted caramel toffee apples

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How to make a pumpkin bird feeder

Don't ditch the Halloween pumpkin just yet... Give it a new lease of life in the garden as a pumpkin bird feeder. Pumpkins spend all summer ballooning into huge, majestic,super-squash, then come autumn, most are either made into soup or carved into a lantern at Hallowe’en. These heavyweights of the fruit world – they often reach 35kg – have a rigid shell that’s great for hacking into. This year, why not carve out a new purpose for your pumpkin, as a bird feeder?

Here’s how:

1. Cut a 2kg pumpkin in half across its equator, scoop out the seeds but leave behind a wall of pumpkin flesh, around 2cm thick.

2. Cut a 1.5cm deep groove in the rim, then push the pumpkin seeds into the rim, making an attractive and edible border.

3. Create perches for robins, blackbirds and sparrows, which like to sit and eat, rather than hang, off a feeder. Poke holes into the pumpkin skin using a skewer or sharp knife and push twigs and sticks into them for perches.

4. Knot two lengths of twine or string together in the centre, then tack the knot of both lengths to the bottom of the pumpkin feeder, using a drawing pin. This creates a hanging basket effect.

5. Fill with seed and watch your birdie friends tuck in.

Want more Halloween reads? Take our Wicca quiz and find out which witch you are, or preserve your pumpkins with pride.

Top 5 ways with pumpkins

Don't waste your Halloween pumpkins! More than just a scary face, these big and beautiful winter squashes can be cooked in all sorts of ways for a delicious supper.

5 ways with pumpkin

1. Pumpkin Pilaf Heat 2 tbsp oil and 2 tbsp butter in a saucepan with lid. Add 1 onion, 3 cloves garlic, 1 tbsp each of cumin, fennel and black onion seeds, and cook for 3 mins. Add 400g basmati rice, cook for 2 mins. Add 400g diced pumpkin and 800ml chicken stock, bring to boil, then simmer. Cook without stirring for 10 mins until liquid is absorbed, turn off heat, stand for 5 mins.

2. Broccoli, pumpkin & pine nut tart Mix 700g sliced pumpkin, 1 sliced red onion, 2 sprigs thyme and 2 tbsp olive oil in a roasting tin. Roast for 15 mins at 200°C. Add 200g Tenderstem broccoli (in 4cm pieces) and garlic to tin, mix and roast for 5 mins. Roll out puff pastry, place on baking tray. Place cooked mixture on top, sprinkle with pine nuts and dot with crème fraîche. Bake for 20 mins.

3. Shallot, red pepper and pumpkin soup Place 4 quartered, deseeded red peppers skin side up on a baking sheet and roast at 200°C for 25 mins, until the skins char. Cool, peel off skins, reserve flesh. In a pan melt 30g butter with 1 tbsp rapeseed oil. Add 6 shallots, 750g diced pumpkin and 1 red chilli, season, then sweat vegetables for 5-10 mins. Add 4 garlic cloves, sprig of thyme, 1.2l veg stock and simmer for 15 mins. Add red peppers and simmer for 5 mins. Blend.

4. Pennoni regati, butternut squash and pumpkin seeds Peel and dice a small squash. Season and sauté for 5 mins in 1 tbsp olive oil. Peel and add 20 small shallots. Cook and drain 300g pasta. Toast 50g pumpkin seeds. Mix a quarter of the cooked squash with 1 chilli and 6 tbsp water. Cook until it just starts to break down. Add a knob of butter, sprig of chopped rosemary and remaining squash and shallots. Mix in pasta. Add Parmesan to serve.

5. Baked pumpkin with a rosemary, chilli and orange topping Roast 12 shallots in olive oil and butter at 200°C for 15 mins. Add 1kg diced pumpkin, roast another 15 mins. Heat 4 tbsp olive oil with 3 cloves of garlic. Add 1 red chilli, 1 tbsp rosemary, 2 tbsp parsley and zest of 1 orange, stirring. Add 120g breadcrumbs, cook for 1 min. Spread breadcrumb mix over the squash and shallots mixture and return to the oven at 180°C for 30 mins.

Courtesy of www.ukshallot.com, www.loveradish.co.uk and www.tenderstem.co.uk.