Friday, October 19

Pumpkins at Slindon

On our way back from my favourite shop (Waitrose for those of you are new to Gigibird) I whined sufficiently for Nigel to take a detour to Slindon to see the Pumpkins.

Slindon itself is worth a detour…..it really is picture perfect…..Miss Marple might live there if she didn’t live where ever it is she lives (before anyone points out I know she is fictional) I spotted 3 Farrow & Ball(ed) houses which caused great excitement for one of us and then we found Pumpkin heaven.

It apparently has been a terrible year for pumpkins; however you wouldn’t know it by the wonderful display the 85 year old veteran pumpkin farmer puts on. He's the one up the ladder!


I was in heaven clicking away on my camera (asking permission first) but the light wasn’t in the best position for general shots so I concentrated on close ups…..

After reading that Crown Prince made thick creamy soup I settled on buying one rather than the classic orange variety.

I even got a few culinary tips and I will post the results should they be worthy of a photo.

The pleasure of my £2 purchase continued on returning home….I found my F&B shade guide and tried to colour match my pumpkin!
I shall unpack the food shop later – priorities…..

I wish I had bought more....

15 comments:

  1. Aren't pumpkins fabulous? I wish I had grown that many but I think the children would get sick of the soup fairly quickly!!! Definitely worth the detour! Lucy x

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  2. That looks absolutely fantastic - this year has been rubbish for pumpkins up here - my Dad is very miffed that he can't supply the girls with halloween pumkins this year - usually they choose the most gruesome looking ones they can and we get truly terrifying lanterns to stack on the steps. this year they are the size of galia melons .
    J
    x

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  3. those pumpkins are fantastic and so is the farmer...i just love the one you are color matching...when i see pumpkins it makes me ready to 'nest' and 'knit' and everything else that means autumn and winter are on their way...

    Tif

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  4. Oooh Lynn they are fabulous, what colour did it match on the Farrow and Ball chart, the blue green ones are my favorite.
    If you need some silk velvet, a company called Whalleys sell it, but it's not cheap, so ebays probably the best place, if you only need a bit I've got some white left over,from my scarf project, you are more than welcome to have that.
    Let me know
    Have a smashing weekend
    XX

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  5. Anonymous7:20 AM

    Pumpkins are so evocative of autumn. What an amazing display, the ones round here are all orange nothing more exciting.

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  6. Was that the 'Marrow & Ball?' paint shade guide you were using?

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  7. i wish i could have come too!

    i'm blown away by this post...what an amazing place + so worth the special trip. i love your grey crown prince. looking forward to hearing the cooking report if you can bear to cut it open. better than jamie's harvest this week...did like his recipes though : )

    have a lovely weekend. are you watching rugby? xxx

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  8. Hi Lynn, look in to 'home is where the heart is', you have been nominated for a Power of Schmooze award. On the subject of pumpkins, this place looks great, and that 'old boy' is a marvel for keeping up this high standard. I have always wanted to do a cut out pumpkin but have never done so because I am frightened to ruin it with one slip of the knife, so this year I have done the next best thing and from Tchibo have bought a lovely large terracotta one, along with a pack of four little pumpkin nightlights, they look lovely lit up, I am pleased with the effect.

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  9. Someone told me that pumpkins are not common vegetables in British supermarkets. Is that true? Judging from that spectacular display it looks like they grow beautifully. We can get pumpkins any time here at the supermarket, although they are usually restricted to Crown, Butternut and Buttercup varieties, plus a rather pale goldy one. They are delicious roasted in chunks with a well seasoned chicken.

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  10. wow, oh you must show us if you make a good soup, and maybe share the recipe......x

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  11. OMG...(takes a deep breath)...blue pumpkins! How totally cool is that! They look cold and eerie...perfect for Halloween!

    G...you scored on the pumpkin front!

    xoxo

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  12. I don't think pumpkin eating will ever be as popular over here as it is in America and other countries with a history of eating them. I have read that it's to do with the ammount of sun they need.....no one ate them when I was growing up.....
    I will certainly share my soup recipe as long as it turns out well!

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  13. Oh my god! I am so excited at the sight of those pumpkins - why oh why do I live so blooming far away from them. I need some green pumpkins, I NEED them. Love your blog and have added it as a fave, hope you don't mind...

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  14. I love going to 'the pumpkin man' at Slindon as we always refer to it. Haven't been for a couple of years. Slindon is such a lovely place and I'm always amazed by the displays the farmer puts on. I always have a hard time deciding which one to buy.
    I think Miss Marple lived in St Mary Mead?

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  15. This years display at Slindon is in Memory to Ralph Upton who sadly passed away peacefully at St. Richard's Hospital on Sunday June 21, 2009... Tony Smith my father erected this years display which took him about 15 days to do and will continue to follow Ralph's passion in making sure Slindon Farms display is as awesome as ever....

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