Get creative with Halloween food and decorations

After walking down Quarrendon Street in Parsons Green, I realised we needed more than a little pumpkin to be set for Halloween. A number of the houses on Quarrendon are beautifully decorated for Halloween, and they’ve made me realise Halloween really is an important event that should be celebrated in style.

Here are a few tips for anyone who want to get in the spirit of Halloween today:
Spider web is a must
The most impressive houses I’ve seen this week all have spider web around the fences or doorways. We went to Circus Circus on Wandsworth Bridge Road on Wednesday to get some for Baby Girl’s playhouse, and there were a variety of spider web decoration packs on offer, starting from £0.50.

Don’t forget the essential trick or treat bucket
For Easter we turned up to an Easter egg hunt without a bucket. We’re not making the same mistake for Halloween, and Baby Girl got to pick her favourite trick or treat bucket in Circus Circus – a bright orange pumpkin-shaped one. We’ve also stocked up on Halloween themed chocolates and sweets for today.

Prepare a delicious Halloween-themed meal
I had a chance to sample Castello cheeses earlier this autumn, and we had a lovely evening with a cheeseboard, including Castello’s Tickler Cheddar, Creamy Blue and Extra Creamy Danish Blue, quince, grapes and red pepper. For Halloween, I was excited to see Castello working with gastronaut’ Stefan Gates, as Gates has crafted a seasonal and creative Halloween recipe (see picture above and details below) with the sweet and tangy Tickler Cheddar. Ideal for celebrating this big day!

Happy Halloween!

Roast Mini pumpkins with sweet potato, Tickler cheddar and chives

Ingredients:
1 small, orange fleshed pumpkin
3 medium sized sweet potatoes
200g Castello Tickler Cheddar
2 cloves garlic
Handful of chives
Caramelised onions
Parsley

Carefully slice the top off a small pumpkin and scoop out the stringy bits along with the seeds, leaving the flesh. Season the inside and add a good splash of olive oil
Bake in the oven at 180 degrees for around an hour
Meanwhile, make your sweet potato mash. Gently fry some garlic in a large saucepan with a little olive oil. Peel and cut around three sweet potatoes and add to the pan, then add boiling water and simmer until soft. Drain
Grate around 200g of Castello Tickler Cheddar & mash into the sweet potatoes until smooth
Season and add some chopped chives then spoon into your pumpkin, finishing with a few shavings of cheddar and some scattered caramelised onions and chives

Tags: Castello, Circus Circus, Fulham, Halloween, Halloween party, Parsons Green, Party decorations, Recipe