Ditch pumpkins this Halloween and carve a scary spud instead

Forget pumpkin carving this Halloween, how about potato carving instead?

It’s a suggestion put forward by Cambridgeshire-based potato product producer Lamb Weston, which says using a humble spud will save 8 million pumpkins and stop 18,000 tonnes of edible food going in the bin.

Cheaper to buy, easier to carve and in plentiful supply among chippies, Lamb Weston says potatoes generate less than half the CO2 per kilo compared to a pumpkin so will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions too.

What’s more, with only 1 in 3 consumers choosing to cook the flesh of a pumpkin once carved, using smaller potatoes instead could dramatically cut down on food waste.

Believe it or not, carving potatoes isn’t a new idea, the original Jack-o’-lanterns were made from turnips and potatoes by the Irish!

In encouraging Brits to rethink old habits, Lamb Weston has created some of its own carved potato designs for inspiration. Could you do better? Let us see!