If you’ve already picked out and carved your pumpkin ahead of Halloween, have you thought much about how you’ll dispose of it afterwards? Well, according to a wildlife expert, to make the most of your leftover pumpkin, you should consider adding it to your hanging bird feeder as a treat for the birds.

Whether you’ve grown your own pumpkins or picked one from a patch, you will still need to find an appropriate method to get rid of pumpkins post-Halloween.

If you’re a gardener who also attracts birds to your garden, adding pumpkins to a hanging bird feeder can be an effective energy boost during the winter months. Here’s why.

Why should you add pumpkin to a hanging bird feeder?

First things first, you should know that you can ONLY add pumpkin to a hanging bird feeder. This is because pumpkins can be toxic to other garden wildlife such as hedgehogs.

‘Our spiked friends, hedgehogs, will often eat pumpkin flesh, but it’s strongly advised not to let them! Hedgehogs are primarily insectivores, and pumpkins can upset their digestion, which leads to dehydration at exactly the time of year they need to be building fat reserves before hibernation,’ says James Ewens, bird specialist at Green Feathers

‘If you want to help hedgehogs, meaty cat or dog food or specialist hedgehog food with a shallow dish of water is far better.’

Because of this, you should place your chopped-up pumpkin or pumpkin seeds in a hanging bird feeder (as opposed to a ground feeder), so it is out of reach of hedgehogs and accessible to birds.

‘Pumpkin seeds are highly nutritious and high in protein and healthy fats. The flesh is less energy-dense but provides water, fibre and carotenoids; the pumpkin flesh, rind, and seeds are a source of vitamins A and C, magnesium, and iron,’ says James.

‘The seeds are especially helpful to birds, being rich in protein and fat; birds need this to maintain energy reserves, especially as we head into those bitter cold months. When natural food becomes scarce, and birds burn a lot of energy keeping warm through long, cold nights, they need supplementary feeding more than ever.’

How to prepare pumpkin for your bird feeder

If you do want to feed your leftover pumpkin to birds post-Halloween, you will need to prepare it correctly. Similar to how you must cook potatoes before putting them in a bird feeder, there are a couple of extra steps to take before putting the pumpkin in your feeder.

‘If the pumpkin has developed mould, it can be dangerous or fatal for birds, so ensure the pumpkin is still fresh before offering it to birds – no week-old pumpkins belong in your bird feeders. Equally important, paint and other unnatural, added materials must be removed from the pumpkin to ensure it is non-toxic. I’d even go as far as washing your pumpkin with warm water – no chemicals or soaps – to ensure it is free of any waxes or coatings,’ says James.

‘To prepare the seeds, scoop them out, rinse off the stringy pulp, and either feed them fresh or dry them out to feed birds through the winter. Never offer seeds that have been salted, oiled, sugared or spiced, as salt in particular is harmful to birds. If you’re roasting them for later, ensure this is without any additives.

‘Larger birds such as jays, woodpeckers and nuthatches can handle whole seeds, but chopping them helps smaller species like tits and finches.’

If you’re not sure what to do with your leftover pumpkin flesh, adding it to your bird feeder is an easy method of disposal – and one that will benefit the local birds.

Kelly Hoppen and leopard print were two things I never thought I’d say in the same sentence. But it turns out they’re a match made in heaven. When the interior designer included a leopard print bolster in her collection with M&S earlier this year, it sold out not once, but twice in record time.

If you missed out on the recent leopard print bolster cushion restock, I come bearing good news. M&S has just dropped the Leopard Print Jacquard Cushion in a traditional square shape for £30.

Leopard print has taken over our wardrobes, and it’s now coming for our homes as one of the breakout home decor trends of 2026. If you needed any further proof that leopard print is a neutral, its inclusion in a range by the ‘Queen of Taupe’ is a pretty compelling argument. It might seem like a departure from Kelly Hoppen’s signature neutral style, but the cushion actually fits beautifully with her calm, elegant aesthetic.

The original bolster cushion was restocked at the end of September, with thousands (including myself) signing up for back-in-stock notifications. Unsurprisingly, it sold out in a day, with fans taking to Instagram disappointed about missing out. If you were among them, you can now pick up the (in my opinion) more versatile and more affordable square shape.

What makes the leopard print design stand out from other animal print cushions is the jacquard print that adds a lovely texture to the cushion, elevating it above the sea of fluffy leopard print home accessories out there at the moment. The colours are also worth noting; it has a gorgeous tonal caramel hue with delicate black spots.

There are at least three members of the Ideal Home team who said they would never include leopard in their homes, but have added either the bolster or the new square cushion to their wish list.

The key differences between the two cushions are the shape, size, and price. The bolster cushion was slightly more expensive at £40, but it was big enough to sit comfortably across a double bed or along the back of a sofa, measuring 90cm in length and 30 cm wide. In contrast, the square cushion is 45 x 45cm and priced at a slightly lower £30.

While I thought the bolster cushion would look gorgeously chic splayed across my bed, I had no chance of getting a leopard-print cushion (even one this chic) past my husband. But I’m more confident I can slip the square version past him as a fun addition to my living room sofa ideas or on a glamorous bedroom chair.

The square cushion is still in stock, but I wouldn’t sit on this purchase for too long. However, if you are still lusting after the bolster cushion, I have been informed it’s likely to come back into stock next week. So keep those eyes peeled!

Leopard print homeware

2026 is definitely the year of the leopard; here are a few other luxe-looking leopard home accessories I’ve found hiding on the high street.

Will you be jumping on the leopard print homeware hype and snapping up the M&S cushion?