Janet MacDonald describes herself as a writer who cooks rather than a cook who writes. Like me, she has a passion for pumpkin and squashes. They are delicious, versatile and oh so good for you.

I am terribly saddened by how difficult it is to get hold of anything other than Butternut in the UK. Supermarkets don’t generally stock them, nor do high street fruit and veg shops from my experience. The only place I can find anything like an Acorn, Spaghetti Squash or Turkish Turban is a farmers market. It is such a shame that supermarkets don’t stock them, but this is probably because a lot of people – certainly ones I have talked to – don’t know what to do with them. This book certainly addresses this issue.

I was immensely pleased to receive a copy of this book to review, as I managed to grow a few pumpkins in the garden this year. So, what to do with my little crop? Well, I was spoiled for choice. This book offers countless recipes for all varieties of squash. There are sweet and savoury recipes alike, including a few surprises.

The book starts off with a ‘at a glance’ list of the recipes held within. This is followed by a brief introduction by the author. There is some info about the definitions of pumpkin and squash varieties and this is followed by the more useful section on how to grow your own. For most of us in the UK, this will probably be the easiest method of acquiring the basic ingredients.

The first few chapters of the book cover winter squashes. The recipes are split into sections – soups and stews, savouries and mains, breads, then jams, chutneys, pickles, relishes, cakes and puddings. The final chapters cover recipes using summer squashes. The inspiration for the dishes comes from around the globe, from Africa to Asia, and the Americas.

As wonderful as the recipes maybe, my only gripe about the book is I am greatly disappointed at the lack of photos. There is not a single picture in the entire book, other than the one on the cover. I am surprised that there are not even any pictures in the early parts of the books where it discusses the different varieties of pumpkin as this could help newbies identify them in the store. Personally, I like to see pictures in recipes book. Not only do they act as a guide so you know what your finished dish should look like, but also, it is the pictures that entice me to try a recipe.  I am unsure how a book with no pictures will encourage people unused to cooking with squash to take it up.

The recipes are fairly easy to follow, and the measurements used are metric and imperial so you can use your preferred method. The ingredients used in the recipes range from store cupboard standards to items now readily available in most supermarkets. You may find the hardest thing to get hold of is the squash. None of the recipes I looked at seemed overly complicated so I think that anyone looking to make a tasty and nutritious meal should have no problems.