Recipe: Baked pumpkin stuffed with cheese and bacon dip, served with black sesame seed breadsticks

Pumpkin:

• 1kg pumpkin
• 100g mature cheddar cheese, grated
• 75g gruyere, grated
• 1 tbsp cornflour
• 200g cream cheese
• 100g crème fraiche
• 2 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
• 35g fresh baby spinach, washed and finely chopped
• 12 rashers cooked streaky bacon, chopped
• Pinch of black pepper

Breadsticks:

• 1 x 320g pack ready-rolled puff pastry
• 1 small egg, whisked
• ½ tsp garlic salt
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 tbsp black sesame seeds

To Serve:

• Mixed crudités - such as sliced celery, carrots and radish

*Allergens highlighted in bold

Preheat the oven to CircoTherm® 170°C.

Slice the top off the pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Place the lid back on and place in the oven, with added low steam, for 1 hour.

Meanwhile, start on the breadsticks. Unroll the pastry, brush with the egg wash and sprinkle on the garlic salt, sea salt and black sesame seeds.

Slice the pastry into 1.5 cm wide strips – you should get around 12-14 strips – and transfer the strips to a lined baking tray. Put to one side.

When the pumpkin is cooked, take out of the oven and carefully remove the lid. Carefully discard any water that may remain inside the pumpkin.

In a bowl, mix together the mature cheddar, gruyere and cornflour, until fully coated.

Add the cream cheese, crème fraiche, garlic, spinach, cooked bacon and black pepper. Stir together, then spoon into the pumpkin. Place on a tray, in the oven on the bottom shelf.

Place the tray with the breadsticks in the top half of the oven. Cook for 20 minutes (you can turn off the added steam now), until the cheese melts and the breadsticks are golden.

Serve the pumpkin and breadsticks along with the mixed crudités. Eat the dip then slice the delicious pumpkin into wedges.