• First make the hot-water pastry. Warm the water in a medium saucepan over high heat, then once simmering add the butter. Bring to the boil, allowing the butter to melt.
• Remove the pan from the heat, add the flour and salt and stir it all together to create a dough. Tip the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

For the pumpkin filling:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/390°F. Chop the pumpkin into big chunks and put it all in a big baking dish. Drizzle with a tbsp of the olive oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. When the oven is hot, roast the pumpkin for 40 minutes until soft. Set aside to cool slightly. (Keep the oven on to bake the pasties.)
• Meanwhile, heat the other 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes, coating them in all the oil. Season with salt and add the sugar and vinegar. Stir to combine and cook for a further 20 minutes over medium-low heat until gently caramelised. Add the shredded sage leaves and stir them into the onions.
• Put all the roasted pumpkin chunks in a bowl and mash into a relatively smooth puree - lumps are allowed although keep 'em small because that pumpkin needs as much flavour as it can get! Add the caramelised onions, along with the paprika, chilli, Worcestershire sauce and brown sugar, along with more salt and pepper. Stir it all together, tasting and seasoning until the flavour is exactly as you want.

Assembling the pumpkin pasties:

• Line a baking tray with baking parchment.
• Take the pastry from the fridge and cut it in half. Roll out one half on a lightly-floured surface until it's around 1-2mm thick. Using either an 8cm cutter for round pasties, or the circumference of large mug or a bowl for the half-moon pasties, cut out rounds from the pastry.
• Fill each round with pumpkin, either in the centre or on one half, keeping a border of pastry around the edge clear. The small ones will be filled with a heaped tbsp, the larger with up to 2 tbsps. Brush the beaten egg around the border.
• Cover the small rounds with another round of pastry, sealing along the egg washed border. For the half-moon shaped pasties, cover with the other half of the pastry circle, first egg washing the border. Press to seal, then crimp with the prongs of a fork. Cut slashes in the top to release steam and brush with more egg wash. Decorate with a small sage leaf.
• Repeat the process with the remaining pastry half.
• Line all the pasties on the prepared baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden and the juices are bubbling up through the steam holes. You may need to turn the tray in the last 5 minutes of baking to ensure the colour is even. Allow to cool slightly before serving, then tuck in. Eat warm or cold as a snack, lunch or side.