It's pumpkin time!!! What a glorious fruit! or is it a vegetable? So many shapes and colours. Boundless possibilities for cooking it. A sweet but not sickening taste. A melt-in-the-mouth texture. A last gift of sunshine from summer, to see us through the winter. And - lest we forget - an amazing vessel for jack'o lanterns and Cinderellas. What's not to like?

Some years ago I even discovered this very quick recipe, when I was looking for a way to use up all the orange stuff I had carved out of my lantern. Another creative venture of mine while I was between jobs...

500 g pumpkin, diced

2 tbsp red thai curry paste

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 can coconut milk (NOT SHAKEN - not stirred either)

2-3 kaffir lime leaves (or lime zest)

juice of 2 limes

fresh coriander, chopped

1 salmon steak, diced (frozen is just fine)

100 g prawns (again, frozen is fine)

75 dl fish stock

Fry the curry paste in the 'cream' which tops the coconut. If it's too dry, add a spoonful of the coconut milk. Add the onion and garlic. Fry until soft. Add the pumpkin and fry for 2-3 mins. Add the rest of the coconut milk and the kaffir lime leaves, then add enough stock to cover the rest, but not more than that. Cook for 20-25 minutes (depending on the type of pumpkin chosen, cooking time varies) until the pumkpin is tender. Add the salmon and the prawns and cook through. Add the lime juice. Serve in large bowls, sprinkled with the coriander.

This makes a great lunch at the office if - like me - you are lucky enough to have a small kitchen and a micro-wave at your disposal. Watch your colleagues go green with envy when they get a whiff of your fragrant soup, while they take a bite of yet another ham and cheese sandwich.