Hotel du Vin Blog

Halloween often leaves me in a bit of a quandary. I’m never entirely sure what I should be doing.  I’m a little mature for trick or treating, but I still like to take part in celebrations in some way. I like getting into the spooky “spirit” – no pun intended.  So this year I have made a conscious effort to search out my perfect Halloween night.

Many of the cities around the country are holding ghost walks or tours, which delve into the murky past of some of Britain’s oldest and supposedly haunted areas. I love a good ghoulish story so I was heartened to find that so many events are happening. Here are some of my favourites.

The Trial of Dr. Knox (from the Burke and Hare story) at Hotel du Vin Edinburgh .

Malloween at the Liverpool Malmaison, complete with monstrous munchies and creepy cocktails.

The Clink Prison, London, is Britian’s oldest prison and was a place of torture and suffering. Tour it if you dare.

Witching hour at Oxford Castle, home to a 900 year old crypt and a curse.

And if you’re slightly more faint of heart or have children in tow, the Halloween Disco and Ghost Tour for kids in Edinburgh may be more your thing?  And if you’re anywhere near Cambridge, pop into Hotel du Vin for some pumpkin cheesecake with cinnamon ice cream. The staff have a pumpkin carving contest between themselves and all the pumpkins will be displayed in the library and lit at night.

Perhaps you prefer to stay indoors and scare yourself with a movie.

Here are my top 5 films and top 5 dishes to get you into that Halloween state of mind.

Films

1. Halloween – setting the precedent for many horror films that followed. Still makes you shiver with the feeling that you’re being watched.
2. Nightmare on Elm Street – Making the comfort of sleep horrifying
3. The birds – maybe that’s where my fear of pigeons comes from!
4. Final Destination series – turning every day happenings into terrifying events.
5. Stephen King’s IT – Clowns. Need I say more?

Dishes

1. Pumpkin soup. After spending hours carving out a pumpkin, the least you can do with it is make a superb soup for those chilly nights.
2. Spicy batwings. Chicken wings with a twist.
3. Apple pie. All those bobbed apples have to go somewhere, right?
4. Spaghetti. A worm inspired pasta main – not for the faint hearted.
5. Risotto. A maggot like dish can easily be created here.

Do you agree? What’s your favourite scary movie and what will you be eating while watching it?

Whatever you choose to do, whether it’s dressing up as a pumpkin and dancing to Michael Jackson’s Thriller, or hiding in darkened room with a scary film, be sure to have a stupendously spooky time.