Directions:

• With a small, sharp knife, cut the top off the pumpkin and use a large spoon to scrape out the stringy pith and seeds into a bowl. Separate the seeds from the pith as best you can and put the seeds into a sieve or colander, removing as much pith as you can. Discard the pith.
• Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.
• Rinse the seeds well, picking off any bits of pith and pumpkin flesh. (The pumpkin tends to stick to your hands, so a good technique for cleaning the seeds is to run your hands through the seeds and rinse them clean of pumpkin bits a couple of times.) Drain well, then spread out on a clean tea towel and pat dry.
• Transfer the seeds to a large baking tray (or use two, so that the seeds are well spread out) and drizzle them with oil. Sprinkle with salt or seasoning mix and give them a good stir so that they are all coated.
• Roast in the oven for 15–20 minutes, stirring them halfway through, until the seeds are toasted and golden brown. Leave to cool on the tray, then pour into a bowl to serve. They will crisp up as they cool, so don’t try to eat them too soon!