Interview with Aly
Aly Boghici is a mother of three who champions sustainable, minimalist living and an eco-friendly lifestyle. She is also the founder of allmumstalk.com, a website where she shares everything from how to keep an organised schedule to how to change nappies. Here at Merci Maman we have been lucky enough to speak to her and gather advice on how to have a more eco-conscious Halloween.
Q: From your instagram, we know that your aim is to live a more sustainable & minimalistic lifestyle. What are your top tips for doing this especially in the festive seasons?
I’m very conscious about food waste, especially during the holidays when it’s so easy to order more than you need. When it comes to pumpkins I buy very little from the supermarkets, I tend to buy more from the local farms and it’s not hard as there are so many amazing farms around London for families to explore. Plus we all love a pumpkin patch, don’t we!
We will bake pies and make soups, and roast the seeds. Any leftovers will go into the compost for our allotment.
Also, when it comes to costumes, I won’t want to invest in new ones, less fabrics to end up in the landfill.
In a recent environmental study, it was found that the seasonal outfits produce 2,000 tonnes of plastic waste – the equivalent of 83 million bottles.
Shocking, isn’t it! Polyester alone can take anywhere between 20 to 200 years to decompose. Not to mention that, when decomposing, polyester and other synthetic plastic fibres release methane into the environment, causing an incredible amount of harm.
Q: 47% of people aren’t aware that carving pumpkins are edible! Do you have any yummy pumpkin recipes you can share?
I love baking! Especially since having children. We bake a lot of pumpkin pie, but I’m sad to read figures like this – the pumpkin is such a versatile veggie, there’s so much you can do with it! From soups to pies and even used it in your salad, simply roasted with a bit of olive oil and a pinch of salt, it’s great warm or cold next to some goat’s cheese on a bed of baby spinach leaves! I’ve just seen a friend of mine adding roasted pumpkin on top of the porridge with walnuts and honey, I’m trying this next!
Growing up my parents would get a big one, slice it like a watermelon and just put it in the oven, and we would just eat it warm. Not to mention the pumpkin seeds, never going to waste. That’s my dad’s favourite part – he was always in charge with roasting the seeds (and eating them too)!
I love a good curry! One of my favourite recipes is this one, I cook it quite often as it’s so easy, especially since I’ve turned vegetarian. https://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/vegetable-recipes/pumpkin-chickpea-coconut-curry/
Q: How are you and your little ones enjoying Halloween this year? Will there be dressing up, pumpkin carving, baking?
As I said this year I am not buying new costumes, I’m trying to get a bit more creative with either using old ones, birthday outfits the kids have already got in their wardrobe or just create new ones with things we have around the house. Definitely dressing up though, it’s the kids’ favourite part and they missed last year’s trick or treating thanks to this ‘fun’ pandemic.
Lots of baking and pumpkin carving in the list too, and going on spooky trails (there’s a great one here at the Waddesdon Manor), and we will then use the carved pumpkins for compost which will end up in our allotment. Nothing will go to waste this year. Also I didn’t buy too make pumpkins for decorating the front door like I did in the past few years. I bought enough to be able to cook them.
According to a new research I found online, this year more than half of the 24 million pumpkins carved for Halloween in Britain will not be eaten.
It’s a very sad figure and a shame that they aren’t being utilised for their great versatility in more recipes.
Merci Maman Recommends
Gaining inspiration from being recommended a superb Jamie Oliver recipe by Aly, here at Merci Maman we decided to try our own hand at a Pumpkin inspired recipe. We decided to make some pumpkin spice chocolate chip cookies and they were a hit at our office, so hopefully you will love them too!
Ingredients
- 280 g plain flour
- 1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda
- 3-4 tsp. blend of cinnamon and cardamom
- 225 g butter, softened
- 170 g brown sugar
- 100 g caster sugar
- 240 g pumkin purée
- 1 large egg
- 320g chocolate chips
Recipe
- Preheat oven to 190°C (170ºC Fan) and line two large baking trays with parchment paper.
- In a small bowl, whisk together flour, bicarbonate of soda and the blend of cinnamon and cardamom.
- In a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in pumpkin, and egg until combined, then add flour mixture. Beat on low until no raw flour appears, then fold in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
- Scoop 2.5cm balls onto prepared baking trays, 5cm apart, and bake until puffed up and golden around edges, about 12 minutes.
Let us know if you try this recipe out (and if you love it as much as we do)! And be sure to to tag us if you do make any pumpkin treats this Halloween!
