How to have a safe and fun Halloween at home

Denise O'Donoghue sets out the foolproof plan for this lockdown All Saints' Eve, from carvings to cocktails

Children bobbing for apples. Picture: iStock

The spookiest night of the year is almost upon us and this year we’re all celebrating Halloween at home. What do you mean you’re not prepared?

Fear not, we’ve prepared a guide to steer you and your family through a fiendishly fun at-home Halloween. A final warning: you have plenty of time to do some panic shopping (but just get a few pumpkins this time, not 400 loo rolls).

5pm: Start carving the pumpkin and making ghoulish treats

It’s not Halloween without a questionably-carved pumpkin to scare away spooks, spirits and salespeople from your door.

Carefully cut off the top of the pumpkin with a sharp, serrated knife. The knife should only be used by grown-ups to avoid a Halloween horror and a trip to A&E. Scoop out the insides and discard the seeds but hold onto the pumpkin’s flesh - you could make soup for the family the next day or use it for a magical grown-up brew (cocktail recipe below).

Draw a face on the pumpkin. With a small knife, cut out the eyes, nose and mouth. Always cut away from you in case the knife slips. Place a candle inside the pumpkin, light it and put the top back on.

If you have more than one pumpkin, try experimenting with different faces and designs. You could have an angry pumpkin, a happy one, or even a Mickey Mouse one if you’re skilled at drawing.

By the light of the pumpkin, it’s time for some treats, not tricks. Darina Allen’s meringue ghosts are the perfect blend of tasty and terrifying.

Ingredients:

• 4 egg whites
• 250g (9oz approx) icing sugar, sieved
• Filling: ½ pint (300ml) whipped cream

Method:

Cover three baking trays with a perfectly-fitting sheet of silicone paper.

Mix all the icing sugar with the egg whites at once in a spotlessly clean bowl.

Whisk until the mixture forms stiff dry peaks – 10 to 15 minutes. Spoon into a clean piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe into spooky ghost shapes.

Bake immediately in a low oven 150C (fan)\300F\regulo 2 for 30 minutes or until set crisp.

Pipe eyes with melted chocolate on half of the ghosts.

Sandwich the meringues together with whipped cream.

5.30pm: Get the playlist going while the ghosts are in the oven

It’s time for the whole family to do the Time Warp again, or even take part in the Monster Mash. 

If you didn’t have time to make a playlist yourself while you were carving and cooking like a pro, Spotify has some great options for you. For little monsters, its ‘Disney Halloween’ playlist will keep tiny toes tapping with tunes from the Nightmare Before Christmas, the Haunted Mansion and more. 

Older kids might prefer the ‘Halloween Songs’ playlist instead, with songs like Ghostbusters, Thriller and Zombie.

6pm: Set up the games

How the kids laughed last year when you told them about your Halloweens spent playing apple snap, bobbing for apples and generally seeing apples as the be-all and end-all of your All Hallow’s Eve entertainment.

Start the evening’s events with the simple classic: bobbing for apples. All you need is a dish, some water and a lot of apples. Sit back as they struggle to pick up an apple with their mouths.

Next, place a grape on top of a ‘mountain’ of flour. Get the kids to take turns swiping at the flour until the grape falls off. Whoever knocks the grape loses.

Finally, tie string in a line across a room (or use a clothesline if you’re playing outdoors). Use more string to hang apples from the line. With their hands behind their backs, the children have to try to catch an apple in their mouth. Whoever does so first wins.

7pm: Spooky treasure hunt

Hide some spooky surprises around the house and garden and have the kids follow your clues to find them all.

If you’re feeling inspired, you can even make up some riddles. “The wicked witch has a crooked nose, you’ll find a treat where you keep your clothes...”

7.30pm Get scared under the stars

If you’re haunted with the weather and have a garden, bring the party outside. Light up some sparklers for older kids and take turns telling scary stories outside. If you have a fire pit or a barbecue, you can light a fire and toast marshmallows before moving back inside to watch a Halloween movie.

8pm: Start the movie

There are loads of movies to choose from for Halloween. Smaller viewers would enjoy Hocus Pocus, Hotel Transylvania and Monster House, while older kids might prefer The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride or Labyrinth. Make sure there’s plenty of popcorn and you can relax for the evening.

9pm: Enjoy a spooky cocktail

Sure, you can pop open a bottle of wine, but why waste all that pumpkin you scooped out earlier? 

Andy Ferreira of Cask cocktail bar has shared the perfect recipe to use up the rest of that fruit in a pumpkin and lavender bellini.

Ingredients:

• 50ml pumpkin & lavender purée
• 125ml Prosecco

Method:

Make a lavender syrup with 200g of caster sugar, 200ml of boiling water. Stir to dissolve then add a bunch of lavender flower petals. (Not stems) Rest (ideally overnight), then strain and bottle.

Steam chunks of pumpkin until soft.

Blend the pumpkin and the lavender syrup until the consistency is thick, runny, has no lumps and tastes a little sweet.

Add 50ml of the chilled purée to a champagne flute and top with bubbles. Give a gentle stir.