Celebration of the pumpkin as sales rise to a record high

And one of Yorkshire’s historic estates, run by the National Trust, is staging a 
week-long seasonal celebration centred on the pumpkin, which has this year had record sales nationally.

A team of chefs, rangers and gardeners at Nostell Priory, near Wakefield, has organised a series of events, including 
pumpkin-carving workshops, story-telling by campfires and family craft workshops.

The events at the West Yorkshire estate, which dates from the 18th century, are running next week.

Meanwhile, one of the country’s leading supermarkets has revealed sales of pumpkins for Halloween have hit record levels as consumers buy them to eat as well as carve. A spokesman for Tesco confirmed yesterday the retailer had sold twice as many “culinary” pumpkins as last year, since they went on sale three weeks ago.

The increase in customers buying pumpkins to eat has helped push up general pumpkin sales by almost 10 per cent on last year, the store said.

Pumpkins can be turned into cakes, soup, pancakes and pies.