How to throw a kids' Halloween party

Spooky savoury feasts

Give your favourite little horrors a Halloween party like no other, and they are sure to be shrieking with excitement. But let's face it, few things are more terrifying than a room full of very over-excited kids. So if you want to take things slowly with the sugar, we have a few savoury suggestions that should keep them at the table. Witches' brew pea & bacon chowder, eyeball pasta and cheesy bean potatoes are all fun and popular with kids.

Or go for a total knock-out and try this Witch's cauldron with glow-in-the-dark goo, sausage mummy dippers and maggoty dustbin pasta (it tastes delicious, trust us!). Whereas Halloween dips & bites like avocado slime sludge, vegetable hellfire spread and creepy bites should also give them some nutritious fuel for all that scary dancing.

Terrifying treats

It wouldn't be Halloween without a trick or treat and scary Halloween jelly, freaky fingers, slime bug cups, cheesy popcorn brains, and spider nest cakes will all be a hit with a gore-loving crowd. Ghosts and ghouls can then quench their thirsty souls on Dracula's punch and bloodthirsty squash.

Catering for the more genteel type of ghoul? Hooting Halloween owls, pumpkin cakes and spider web chocolate fudge muffins should do the trick, but the crème de la crème has to be this Haunted graveyard cake which everyone from toddlers to teens will love.

Ghoulish games

Run a few silly contests for awards like, 'biggest witch's nose', 'best broom' or 'scariest fingernails' so that everyone wins a little prize. Great homemade giveaways include these eerie eyeball cake pops, toffee popcorn bark or squeamish squares.

Try spicing up traditional apple bobbing by adding some milk and food dye into the mix to make it frogspawn green or blood-curding red. You could also add edible glitter and fake spiders to turn it into a witch's potion or a giant's blood bath. Whoever bobs the most apples in a limited space of time could win a small party bag of treats to take home.

Putting ingredients like cold spaghetti, lychees or runny jelly in a bowl and getting blindfolded party guests to guess what they are feeling is always good squelchy, squealy fun, and you can always rename your concoctions as baby snakes, eyeballs or goblin goo. Just don't get too carried away with parties for younger children, pre-schoolers probably won't appreciate a full-on 'I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here' experience.

If you are looking for something a little less scary, then how about a hunt for a ghost ship's treasure chest, you could scatter clues attached to gold chocolate coins around the house leading to a hoard of ghostly goodies like cheap costume jewellery or bags of popcorn or golden coins.

When your party is nearing an end it might be worth giving the children a quieter, table activity to calm them down before home time. Spooky cupcakes decorating should get twitchy feet settled down in no time.

Still in need of inspiration? Check out all of our horrifying Halloween recipes.

Do you have any terrible treats in store for your little ones? We'd love to hear your ideas...