Pumpkins are an integral part of any Halloween party but it hasn’t always been that way.

Richard Simkin, owner of of Essington Fruit Farm, says that when he was a boy, hardly anyone grew pumpkins and instead swedes or turnips were turned into Jack O’Lanterns.

The Simkins have been farming in Essington since 1892 but Richard says it was only 25 years ago that they started growing pumpkins, and now they are one of the farm’s most popular products in October.

“We started growing them when Halloween became more popular,” says Richard.

“In the first few years, we had to experiment to find the right pumpkins to grow as some need warm temperatures that you don’t get in the Midlands.

“Once we had found the best variety, we increased the amount, and now we produce more than 1,000.”

The Jack O’ Lantern comes from an old folk tale about a drunkard called Jack who tricked Satan into climbing a tree to get an apple. Jack made a deal with the devil that, if he never tempted him again, he would promise to let him down from the tree.

After a while, Jack slipped back into his old, sinful ways and, when he died, couldn’t go to either heaven or hell.

Instead, the devil gave him a single piece of coal to light his way through the darkness.

The coal was placed inside a hollowed-out turnip in order to keep it glowing longer.

Richard says that while pumpkins are not regularly eaten in England, they are very popular in Australia.

“People in Australia eat pumpkins as often as we eat potatoes, and they like making pies and soups out of them,” says Richard, aged 58. “After scooping out your pumpkin, it is a shame to throw away the flesh as it can be used in a lot of recipes.

“Also, the seeds can be planted and will grow into pumpkins next year.” Richard says he plants pumpkin seeds between May and June and they need to be harvested before the first frosts, which are usually in mid-October. Depending on the size, pumpkins cost between 95p, for one the size of a cricket ball, to £3.50 for one which is larger than a football.

“At the moment, we are getting a few people coming to buy their pumpkins as they can be kept for several weeks as long as it hasn’t been cut into and the stalk at the top is still intact,” says Richard.

“Around 95 per cent of the pumpkins go by Halloween, and the others go before bonfire night and in the run-up to Christmas.”

Due to the poor summer, pumpkins are smaller than usual this year.

But people are still snapping them up for Halloween.