No Halloween nightmare this year for pumpkin sellers
West Country pumpkin growers say - like supermarkets - they're braced for a big rise in sales this month.
Last updated 7th Oct 2021
Last year most Halloween parties were cancelled because of the pandemic, but there's not expected to be a Halloween sales scare this year as today Tesco confirmed it's expecting high demand this time around.
Charlie Quick from Thurloxton Farm - between Bridgwater and Taunton in Somerset - says they expect to sell each one of the thousands they've planted ahead of this year's Halloween.
Since 2018 Thurloxton has been growing pumpkins in a field so people can pick and choose their favourite and carve it there and then.
Charlie says the region is 'great' for pumpkin growing, explaining: "In terms of growing we've got a very favourable climate here.
"It's lovely and warm, the frosts are very late and the soil warms up quite easily in the Spring which means that we can be fairly certain that we'll get a good establishment of the plants early on in the season."
He says the pumpkins aren't grown for flavour though, adding: "You can use it in soups but these types of varieties aren't really the eating types, they're not bred for flavour. They're bred for size and shape."
All four UK nations had strict lockdown measures last year, meaning many people couldn't meet indoors.
Tesco says it expects a 15 percent increase in pumpkin sales as friends and families host Halloween parties.
Tesco pumpkin buyer Emily Hampson said: "We are anticipating demand to be very strong following the disappointment of Halloween parties being cancelled last year due to lockdown."
Classic carving pumpkins are still, by far, the most popular, Tesco said, but demand for novelty Red Devil and White Ghost varieties increased by more than 60% last year.
The supermarket anticipates that demand for smaller, edible Sweet Culinary pumpkins will be up 15% on last year, driven by the plant-based food boom.
"The Sweet Culinary variety is already proving popular, especially with vegans who not only make traditional pies and soup out of them but also use them as centrepiece dishes," said Ms Hampson.
Last year, Tesco introduced a new variety called Autumnal Squash and it is anticipating demand will rocket by 300% this October.
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