October 28, 2007

Recipe News: Tasty Hallowe'en treats

Every Hallowe'en, in my sister-in-law's Northamptonshire village, one of the residents sits on her doorstep with a basket of apples for the trick-or-treat callers.

Devilish delights for a spirited Hallowe'en evening
You have to admire her nerve, as well as her stand against the view that only vile, artificially flavoured sweets count as a treat.

There's nothing wrong with Hallowe'en as a reminder of our pagan past, when the Celts believed the dead came back and had to be frightened off with scary costumes and bonfires.

But trick-or-treating brings me out in a rash. It might be fine in the US, where it has a claim to be "traditional", but here it's nothing short of extortion.

It's time to revive some British customs, such as apple bobbing, which is fun and infuriatingly difficult for both adults and children.

Includes recipes for:

PARKIN

TOFFEE APPLES

PUMPKIN SOUP WITH SAGE LEAVES AND CROUTONS

SAUSAGES WRAPPED IN BACON (PIGS IN BLANKETS)

Meringue ghosts and bones

Cheese pumpkins

Full article here.