Carve A Pumpkin Competition

Could you and your grandchildren carve a winning pumpkin? Send us a photo and find out.

The leaves are falling, the days are darkening and pumpkins are on sale at supermarkets, greengrocers and farms across the country, demanding to be carved into faces or other fantastical figures. Maybe you've grown your own.

Making vegetable lanterns is great fun to do with the grandchildren. They will enjoy picking the perfect pumpkin, scooping out the messy orange inside and coming up with a design. Obviously younger ones will need your help with sharp carving implements, or they could decorate a face with markers, paint or glitter glue instead.

Afterwards you could toast the seeds and cook soup or pumpkin pie with the innards.

An autumn tradition, pumpkin carving is certainly a heathier Halloween activity than going trick or treating for sweets. Although classic Jack O' Lanterns are fun for older children, your pumpkin doesn't even have to be Halloween themed. You could carve a harvest design, or a cartoon character if you're feeling artistically ambitious.

It doesn't have to be a pumpkin, either - you could carve a turnip, swede or squash.

Once you and your family have created the perfect pumpkin, email a photo of you and your lantern to makemeawinner@50connect.com for your chance to win the book Decorating Pumpkins And Gourds, which contains 20 fun ideas for decorating pumpkins, squashes and gourds.