Canned Pumpkin in UK???

[psycho_fluff]

I know its the cheats way out & I should do it from scratch but I currently order my canned pumpkin from either americansoda.co.uk or americansweets.co.uk and I was just wondering if anyone had seen it in any supermarkets here in the uk, especially the south. I never have.

[notagreatcook]

TKMAX also have it, my friend purchased some on Saturday 5th November.

[rich833]

I think www.americangoodies.co.uk sells the libby's pumpkin pie filling, never tried it though!

[zuriga1]

Whole Foods has it, too... plus lots of other Thanksgiving-type materials.

[c.cow]

The Canada (and Australia/New Zealand) shop in London (Maiden Lane) has both regular canned pumpkin and the pie filling.

[psycho_fluff]

Id rather use www.americansoda.co.uk or www.americansweets.co.uk Although they are marginally more expensive, they appear to have a much larger variety of products on offer.

[zuriga1]

I sometimes use Skyco because they are based nearer to where I live. I have even found that Amazon sells lots of American products via americansoda. There must be a lot of us here. :-)

[psycho_fluff]

I think a lot of us Brits like it because the food network shows predominantly US shows & we now know what we have been missing all these years.

[zuriga1]

Yes, I've been catching up with the Contessa lately. The shows being presented on the UK Food Network are years old, but their value doesn't diminish. I wish some of the other programmes I used to like were on. Luckily, a friend of mine lives near where the Contessa had her gourmet shop so I got to taste things there a long time ago.

[psycho_fluff]

How lucky are you!??? I love Paula Deen. She cracks me up, I love watching her & she does some delish food. Eat Street was just shown which was really good. Loved that!

[zuriga1]

The grass is always greener. I now love to watch cooking programs with British food. I've learned so much since living here. I don't know Paula Deen. She must have started after I left the States. I don't have SKY or Virgin so we just get 3 hours of Food Network on Freeview.

[expatlondon]

Patterson's also stocks it

[limoen]

Selfridges food hall has all kinds of American stuff like marshmallow fluff. I've not looked specifically for pumpkin but they may have it there

[sunshine842]

I never thought I'd say this -- but I now just chunk up a big slice of pumpkin, throw it in a baking dish, cover with foil, and roast with a little water until it's soft -- about 1-1/2 to 2 hours at 190C for a kilo of pumpkin. I might try it in the crockpot this year -- but usually its no big deal to toss it in the oven while I do laundry, clean the kitchen, etc., et.c, etc. I scrape it off the rind and puree it with a stick blender, then pour it into a mesh strainer, as it does tend to be wetter than canned pumpkin.

The flavor of my pumpkin pies is 100% improved -- so much so that I found the last can of pumpkin from the States hiding in the back of the cupboard and made a pie with it last Thanksgiving. I threw it out because nobody liked it. (same recipe -- one made with canned, one made with pumpkin from the market that I roasted)

[psycho_fluff]

Never really done it myself. How much whole raw pumpkin weight would I need fper 1 cup of cooked pureed pumpkin & once pureed, will it freeze well? Thanks for all your tips by the way, appreciated muchly!!!

[sunshine842]

about a half a kilo (one pound) will give you about 1 cup -- it freezes beautifully, so I usually do a big piece, then put one cup into a freezer bag -- then I don't even have to measure it when I'm making a pie -- just thaw it and pour it into the bowl.

I get *terrific* results with the pumpkin used for mash or soups - the flavor is really excellent.

Pumpkins intended to be used for jack-o-lanterns tend to be *very* fibrous and have very little flavor.

(you can always use any sort of orange-fleshed hard squash if you can't find pumpkin. It'll be close enough!)

[psycho_fluff]

Would butternut be too strong for pumpkin pie? or would you recommend just a normal squash?

[sunshine842]

A butternut will have a slightly different taste, but I haven't used it - try one and see!

[zuriga1]

I think a lot of what makes a pumpkin pie taste like a pumpkin pie is that it's made with pumpkin. I don't think butternut squash would be terrible but maybe putting some pumpkin pie spice with it would help... which I don't see over here. I'm glad this discussion has evolved. I'll bring some back with me next trip!

[sunshine842]

pumpkin pie spice is easy -- it varies by manufacturer, but it's a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, and ginger -- all of which are easy to find on any grocery shelf.

Make your own:

http://southernfood.about.com/cs/pumpkins/ht/pumpkin_spices.htm
http://www.ochef.com/810.htm
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/pumpkin-...

I usually just add the individual spices to our taste -- I don't even bother making the blend.

(can't find ground cloves? No problem -- whizz 'em in your coffee grinder, or in your mortar and pestle)

[zuriga1]

Thanks for the idea to make my own pie spice. I've been so lazy for so long. :-)

[gembellina]

Waitrose often has a good selection of pumpkins and squashes come autumn. With enough cinnamon etc you might not notice the difference!

[zuriga1]

I've seen it a few times but can't remember where.. maybe in a Waitrose. I do think that Whole Foods stocks it - for sure at Thanksgiving time but could be year-round.. worth an inquiry.

[gembellina]

Yes, Waitrose sells Libby's. They seem to have it year-round.

[zuriga1]

Libby's - that's it.. very popular American brand for canned fruit etc. I think there are two varieties of the pumpkin in the States... a puree and maybe something else. It's been awhile since I needed it for Thanksgiving, so I can't remember.

[sunshine842]

there's pureed pumpkin, and then there's pumpkin pie filling....make sure you check the label, because the recipes are vastly differen!

[gembellina]

I think the one in Waitrose is the puree, not the pie filling

[ultimatepotato]

i was considering making a proper Thanksgiving dinner last year (no idea why, a New Zealander living in London...must have been stressed) and the cans I saw in Waitrose were puree, with a recipe for pie on them.

[zuriga1]

Thanks. I couldn't remember the two types but that's it!