Halloween at home

Enjoy Halloween ahead of time with some LUSH treats

LUSH's bath bombs transform an everyday activity into a magical experience, and the brand's Halloween collection is every bit as fabulous as you'd hope it would be. We've had a week of Halloween fun already enjoying the pumpkin and glitter bat bath bombs, and the glow-in-the-dark ghost soap. We're also buying up knot wraps for ourselves to wear as Halloween accessories on the day...

Make your own spooky treat with Pleesecakes

Somewhere between a crafts afternoon and a baking session - minus the mess - DIY cake decorating is one of our favourite pastimes with the kids. Pleesecakes is making our cheesecake dreams come true with this build-your-own at home Halloween cake in three flavour options: Burnt Witches Ash Base (Oreo), Bloody Dirt Filling (Chocolate & Raspberry), and Ecto-Plasm Slime (White Chocolate Ganache). Decorate with white chocolate ganache and a whole load of creepy sweets, like fangs and eyeballs.

Head to a pumpkin patch

From decor to carving, Halloween is all about pumpkin fun. Luckily, there are plenty of pumpkin patches in the local area, from Surrey to Kent, where you can book in a pick your own experience for an afternoon of family bonding. Over half term, many have ghoulish activities planned which you can book into as well.

There's no such thing as too much Halloween dressing

Confession: our kids have been wearing zombie sweatshirts, skeleton dresses, witch headbands and pumpkin printed tees for the whole of October so far, because... why not? There are so many cute Halloween clothes out there, and if your child can't get away with a pumpkin print hat aged one, when they can they?

Not On The High Street has a brilliant selection of clothes, gifts and classy decor and Boden has an adorable range of glow-in-the-dark PJs and bat and pumpkin printed tees (as well as their Harry Potter collection, for budding wizards and witches).

Photo: Solesmith/Not On The High Street

Pop into London's spookiest shop, Hoxton Street Monster Supplies

We're completely obsessed by Hoxton Street Monster Supplies: a monster supply shop at the front, a creative writing charity at the back. From Werewolf Biscuits to monster travel guides for kids (featuring interviews from celebrity monsters), this little gem in north London is well worth a visit for some pre-Halloween antics.

Order some decadent Halloween treats from Cutter & Squidge

Trick or treating may prove trickier this year, but we still want our Halloween to be heavy on the treats. Having the festivities at home with your immediate family makes it a good excuse to indulge in some Halloween baking or splurge on some decadent goodies, like the biscuit, brownie and cake boxes Cutter & Squidge is serving up this spooky season.

From January 2021, guests can also book into Cutter & Squidge's spooky afternoon tea, The Potion Room, for anyone who wants to conjure up an afternoon to remember.

Go big on the Halloween decor with Etsy (and some homemade crafts)

Halloween this year is all about the decor inside your home - as well as the front yard and back garden, with people going all out to turn their bathrooms creepy and their gardens into eerie Halloween wonderlands.

A combination of spooky goodies, statement pieces (balloon arch, anyone?) and homemade crafts (we'll be upcycling loo roll into bats with our kids) should do the trick, and the theme is the more, the merrier. Etsy is a great place for home decor, costumes and Halloween crafty bits.

Photo: Sew Your Own Halloween Garland, Sweet Little Things GB

Enjoy virtual Halloween fun with Captain Fantastic

For anyone looking for a COVID-safe Halloween party experience, Captain Fantastic's got plenty of options, like Halloween magic and challenge parties online, complete with goodies and decor essentials like helium balloons and cake in a jar.

You can also book onto a virtual trick or treat experience for £12 per household for a 50-minute slot (there are options throughout the day). Revelers will meet a variety of actors - the residents of Spooksville - behind each door, gathering clues and solving riddles to find the missing Captain Fantastic.

Photo: Beth Teutschmann/Unsplash

Trick or Treat alternatives

As restrictions have tightened, parents have been brainstorming clever ways to give their kids a trick or treat experience that's pandemic-friendly. We've heard everything from going on a walk and giving out candies every time you pass a house with spooky decorations, to groups of six getting together and making their own spooky trails for children to follow (identified by pumpkin cutouts in the window). Whatever you choose to do, you can't go wrong by trying out a new kind of sweet: American favourite candy corn and mellowcreme pumpkins from Brach's.

Photo: Sarah Gualtieri

Check out London City Island and Good Luck Hope for some Halloween fun

East London's 'micro-Manhattan' development is getting into the Halloween spirit with a selection of Halloween-themed events, including a pumpkin patch and pumpkin carving workshops at London City Island (online), hosted by mixed media sculptor, David Bradley.

And yes, if you're wondering, you can change your Zoom background to a spooky one for the occasion, or any other virtual fun you're getting involved in (try Canva).

You can also book onto a Goodluck Hope Walking Ghost Tour led by immersive actors on October 31st - a socially distanced walking tour and an opportunity for kids to learn about some of London's spooky history.

Embrace fancy dress

There's no reason to skimp on the dramatic costume this year: the kids will have just as much fun wearing it around the house as they will when out and about. For something different to supermarket cossies, we'd suggest a sustainable alternative - trawl charity shops like FARA, which are embracing the Halloween theme. Or, get the kids something truly stunning, to wear time and time again, from a brand like Numero 74, Meri Meri, Great Pretenders and Wild and Soft, all available at Smallable. Made from sumptuous fabrics in non-garish colours, these costumes are handcrafted and beautifully detailed.

Try tablescaping

For adult-friendly Halloween fun, there's nothing better than laying a beautiful - and terrifying - table. Get some spooky inspo on Pinterest.

Watch every spooky movie there is

Halloween movies are just the best - especially the ones from the 90s: Hocus Pocus, The Addams Family and The Addams Family Values, The Nightmare Before Christmas. We'll be enjoying all of the above with our crew this month. Also, for anyone who has Disney Plus: the Descendants and Zombies musical movies are a lot of fun and perfectly themed for this time of year.

Speaking of creepy movies... don't miss The Witches

Great news, Roald Dahl fans. And Anne Hathaway, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci and Robert Zemeckis fans. A new version of The Witches, starring Anne Hathaway as the Grand High Witch, is landing in our living rooms on October 26th, available to watch via Premium Video on Demand. It's unclear whether it will creep us out as much as the Anjelica Huston version from our childhoods... but we'll happily take every outfit Anne Hathaway's wearing in the trailer for the film.

Photo: Warner Bros.

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