Instead of trekking around Durham in the pursuit of a good Halloween party this year, how about trying something different and throwing your own spooktacular party? Get a costume, invite some mates, raid The Gates for the cheapest, tackiest decorations you can find, and prepare some gruesome and groovy cocktails and healthy nibbles for your friends. Here are a few scarily good suggestions to get you started.
Snacks
Witches fingers with Hummus
A fun looking and wickedly healthy snack, these witches fingers are simple to make. Get five carrots and chop into long finger sized pieces, and carve and peel until they resemble fingers. Take a slithered almond and glue at the top of each ‘finger’ with a little hummus to create a fingernail. Pour your shop bought or home made hummus of choice into a serving bowl, sprinkle some paprika over and place each finger into the hummus. Easy!
Pumpkin Guacamole spew
An impressive centrepiece for your party table, your friends wont be able to resist the delicious guacamole dip and tortilla chips. First, buy a pumpkin and carve a gruesome face. Next, make the guacamole- mash 5 large avocados, one finely diced large red onion, two large chopped tomatoes with the juice of 2 limes and season. Place your carved pumpkin onto a tray and spread the guacamole from the pumpkins mouth across the tray so that it looks like vomit. Finally, scatter tortilla chips or vegetable crisps around the guac for your friends to dip and eat.
Apple Monster Mouths
These snacks are super cute and easy to make. You’ll need 4 apples, cored and quarted, smooth peanut butter, jam and slivered almonds.. With a small, sharp paring knife, cut a lengthwise wedge from the skin side of each apple quarter, leaving the peel around the wedge for lips. Now, spread on some jam or nut butter for the tongue and then push some slivered almonds in for the teeth. Alternatively you could use mini marshmallows for teeth, or try placing a slither of strawberry in the mouth for a tongue or pashionfruit pulp for vomit.
Cocktails
Black Velvet– a 50/50 mixture of champagne and stout (such as Guinness), this dark, potion like concoction is rich, velvety and fizzy- an easy and perfect looking drink for your party.
Bloody Mary– we all know this one. With a name that positively screams Halloween, this drink, with its blood red colour, is simple; shake all of the below with ice for 4-6 glasses. To finish, dribble some red food colouring down the sides of glasses to create gory drips of fake blood.
- 1 dessert spoon of Worcestershire sauce
- 5 splashes of Tabasco
- juice of ¼ lemon
- salt
- pepper
- 70ml of dry sherry
- 600ml of tomato juice
Witches Brew– this bewitching green drink is perfect for Halloween and looks extra creepy if you drop a gummy sweet eyeball in the bottom of each martini glass. To make one drink, rim a Martini glass with sugar. Combine 60ml vodka with 30ml apple sours and 30ml of apple juice, and pour into the glass. Equally this could work if you made a big batch and served out of a punch bowl, whilst adding a few jelly snakes and critters to transform it into a witches cauldron.
Happy Halloween!