For family fun this Halloween, get your pumpkins on the table. There’s no better way to stir up ghoulish inspiration and be spooked by your families creative talent.
‘Few activities can claim to be as creative, cheap, fun and nutritious as a pumpkin party,’ says Urs Bielmann, director at UK Fostering. So get a bagful of good-sized gourds and have our pumpkin carving guide at the ready …
Gather spoons, knives, potato peelers, plaster scrapers and anything else to help you sculpt your pumpkin.
Cut a hole around the pumpkin stem, scoop out the seeds and insides.
Draw your design onto your pumpkin with a pencil, getting ideas from drawings or stickers.
Cut, carve or peel off pumpkin skin. Apart from cutting holes, you can peel away skin to reveal lighter coloured flesh. The thinner the wall of your pumpkin, the brighter the light will shine through, creating a soft orange glow.
Illuminate your pumpkin. Use a candle in a high-sided glass, a battery operated light or torch.
Accessorise your pumpkin. Use raisins, marshmallows, pipe cleaners or silver foil to add detail. Note: black pipe-cleaners make excellent spiders.
Snack on the seeds. Wash then roast your pumpkin seeds in olive oil and a sprinkling of salt. Roast at 170C for 20-30 minutes, tossing every ten minutes for a healthy snack.
TIPS
– When using a knife, cut away, not towards yourself and always supervise children.
– Have a practice pumpkin to test carving and peeling techniques.
– Prevent areas of pumpkin flesh from going brown by applying petroleum jelly.