Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Slice the squashes in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Rinse and roughly chop the thyme. Place the squash on a large rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil then sprinkle with salt, pepper and thyme. Bake in the centre of the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until the squash is soft enough to stick a fork through. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, bring the maple syrup to a boil in a small saucepan over low heat. Once boiling, whisk in the spices. Whisk periodically until the syrup begins to thicken. This will take about 5 minutes.

Add the pecans to the syrup and mix until the nuts are evenly coated and no syrup remains in the pot. Transfer the nuts on to a piece of parchment paper and allow to cool completely.

To assemble: scoop out the flesh of the squash into a large casserole dish. Add 2 tablespoons maple syrup and more salt and pepper then mash until smooth. Reheat in the oven then sprinkle with the maple pecans.