Autumn is a season of abundance. As summer crops give way to heartier harvests, the kitchen fills with ingredients that lend themselves to slower cooking and comforting meals. Among them, squash stands out as one of the season’s most versatile and rewarding.
Prized for its vibrant colours and versatility, it brings natural sweetness and subtle nuttiness, earning its place at the heart of the autumn table. This year, our market garden team expect to harvest around 3,000 squash across a range of varieties, each chosen for its distinctive qualities.
“We grow a mix of large, seeded varieties, such as Crown Prince and Red Kuri, alongside smaller squashes including Butternut and Sweet Dumpling,” explains Jez, Head of the market garden. “The larger varieties are particularly valued in the farmshop and across our pub kitchens for their dense flesh and thinner skins.”
While squash is most often associated with the autumn months, Jez notes that its growing cycle extends far beyond the traditional harvest season.
“People tend to think of squash as an autumn crop, but it plays an important role in the market garden for much of the year. Our Red Kuri and Crown Prince varieties begin to be harvested in August and are lifted throughout October and November, while Butternut squash is typically harvested from September onwards, once the fruits have had time to fully mature and swell. Crown Prince stores exceptionally well and will last until the following June, which is why we often refer to it as our winter storage squash.”
At The Bell, Head Chef Jason Christie has chosen to showcase the season’s harvest in an American-style pumpkin pie. A variety of squash, pumpkin is prized for its natural sweetness, which pairs with warming spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg in buttery pastry.
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