Catering for an Exciting Halloween Party or Autumn Celebration

What Makes Food Halloween or Autumnal?

While serving wine glasses full of rich blood may be at the top of the list for Dracula’s October bash, you may find your party goers leaving early if presented with such a beverage. There are plenty of ways to get the same effect though and this is a very simple yet perfect example. Red wine does the job but with slightly less backlash.

Turning food into a spectacle for a Halloween party or even just an Autumn family celebration simply requires creativity and imagination. Using seasonal ingredients such as the obvious pumpkin and colours that best represent the time of year helps to immerse your guests in the spirit of the festivities.

Halloween Inspired Food Design

Is a cookie just a cookie or could it be the finger of a wicked witch? Simply changing the shape of your cookie dough to look like a finger instead of a puck and then using an almond slice as the fingernail transforms a regular recipe into something spooky! It’s just about being creative with your food. Experiment and try to recreate shapes that resemble things associated with the theme. Shape your dough or pastry and use themed moulds like a skull to set you liquids such as jelly. Don’t just pour your chocolate sauce on top, drizzle it in the shape of a spider’s web. Try and apply the same thought process throughout your preparation and presentation while combining the following colours and seasonal ingredients.

If it’s not a Halloween party and just an Autumn get together then apply the same theory’s but perhaps make some maple leaf shapes out fo your cookie dough instead of witch fingers!

Colour Theme

Red - like the evil queen’s poisonous apple
Orange - the staple colour of Halloween
Brown and Yellow – Autumn turns green to brown, through orange red and yellow.
Black – more specific for Halloween yet a great contrast for those bright colours.
White – A hint of the winter that follows… or like the colour of Jack’s skeleton, is it Halloween at Christmas?
Purple – the use of purple is very popular. Add a touch of gothic to your food using one of Tim Burton’s go to colours.
Neon/Lime Green – Oooze, slime, gunk, the colour of the spirits.

Using the above colours will help to set the theme and will give you some amazing visuals once displayed.

Seasonal Ingredients

Pumpkin – a classic that cannot be missed
Green Clementines
Beetroot
Cabbage
Radishes
Turnips
Butternut Squash
Kale
Ginger
Fennel
Endive Lettuce
Cauliflower
Pomegranate
Kape Gooseberries
Figs and Dates
Cranberries
Parsnips
Aubergine
Leeks

These are just some of the examples of seasonal ingredients available and a quick google search will give you a whole host of more exotic and rare choices to dabble with. Whichever you go with it’s important to remember to make your food warming and a good example of this would be a ginger infused cheesecake where this classic dessert now brings a sense of coziness to you through the addition of ginger.

Example Dishes

Starters/Appetisers

Pumpkin Soup with crème fraiche and red chillies on top served in mini bowls
Mummified Sausage Rolls – use thin strips to warp the sausage to resemble the wrap of a mummy and then use black olives to add some eyes.

Mains

Mini Black Pudding Toad in the Hole – use tomato and black pudding to add some eerie colour to your sausages and pour the batter mix over in a stringy fashion to resemble spider’s web
Tombstone Shepherd’s Pie – turn this classic hearty dish into a tombstone by carving it into the mash before cooking. Add some shredded fried leek at the end for some “grass” at the base of the tombstone.

Dessert

Ginger Infused Cheesecake – decorate with Halloween themed chocolate toppers
Sticky Toffee Pudding and Ooze Custard – turn your custard green with food colouring

Try pairing these dishes with some mulled cider, hot chocolate or even some blood orange lemonade! Remember to finish the job after you’ve worked hard preparing the food. Decorate your table with themed tablecloths, pumpkin lanterns, some cobwebs and finish the setting with some freaky music.

Enjoy the Evening

Whatever the occasion, the trick is to treat yourself to a fun evening, especially when it’s Halloween. Get creative and have fun! If you are still out of ideas or you would like to just sit back, and have it done for you then contact Gourmet Foods and we can cater for your party.