Pumpkins are closely associated with autumn in the UK just as much as they are in the US, but unlike our transatlantic neighbours, we are more likely to put them on our front doorstep or windowsill than to find them served to our restaurant tables.
However, there's good reason why it might be high time to change that, in order to capitalise on the growth potential of what may be the most iconic ingredient of the season.
According to a Mintel report in the US, pumpkin appears as an ingredient in 32% more menu dishes now than it did three years ago (based on Q4 of 2013 compared with 2010, as the main pumpkin season of 2014 is yet to come).
The average compound annual growth rate of pumpkin as a menu ingredient is therefore around the 10% mark, definitely identifying it as an up-and-coming ingredient, especially in soups and side dishes.
Soups and stews alone comprise 20% of the total growth during the report period, although they still only account for 11% of all pumpkin-related dishes on US menus.
A further 14% of the increase derives from burgers, although this incorporates relishes, sauces and sides, including burgers served with soups or salads that contain pumpkin flavourings.
"While these numbers reflect the winter quarter Q4, the menu incidence and growth rates are comparable for the earlier Q3 autumn quarter," Mintel reports.
"In fact, the 'menuing' of pumpkin-flavoured dishes and ingredients is breaking traditional seasonal boundaries, with menu items being introduced earlier and earlier each year."
Restaurant tables in the UK are perhaps not quite as ready for pumpkin to be an everyday ingredient, but as a seasonal special there is plenty of potential to be found, with diners increasingly favouring more 'natural' ingredients, locally sourced produce, in-season vegetables and so on.
Adding pumpkin to your ingredients could be the ideal way to launch an autumn menu without it being dominated by Christmas-themed dishes too early in the season.
For a conservative approach to doing so, look to the categories that have proved most successful over in the US - pumpkin soup and sauces, or as a minor ingredient in stews.