By The Artisan Kitchen, Oct 8 2015 10:44PM

Halloween is our second favourite holiday (I’m sure you can guess what our first is, hint: it’s coming up in a couple of months and some people are getting very excited about it already).

We love the cold, crisp air and the crunch of leaves underfoot when we take the kids trick or treating and the carved pumpkins glowing outside every house. Most of all we love a good Halloween party.

If you’re throwing a spooky knees up this year, there are 3 things that need to be taken into consideration to make it the most talked about event of the year. Look after the drinks, the costume and the food, and the rest will all fall into place.

 

The Drinks

If we’re honest with ourselves, this is at the core of every British party. We’re a nation of drinkers, let’s embrace that, shall we? There are a few directions to go in when it comes to plying your guests with alcohol, but if you want to go down the spooky route, we have you covered..

This witchy, creepy martini from blogger Lauryn Evarts is just about perfect, isn’t it? Like she says herself, it would be best enjoyed when the sipper is wearing black lipstick.. If you don’t like that idea, there are plenty on the Cosmopolitan website for you to try.

Want to go non alcoholic? Well done, you sound like a very responsible adult. Try this punch recipe from our trusty BBC.

 

The Costume

As host, your most important job is having the most badass costume. People need to arrive, see what you’re wearing, and say “damn, I wish I’d thought of that.”

If you want a little extra inspiration, Buzzfeed compiled all the best costumes from last year in this article – prepare to do some serious timewasting.

 

The Food

Food is the way to most hearts, this is a fact. So, if you lay out a killer spread for your party, it’s bound to be a hit.

Get started with our toffee apple jam. The must-have preserve for autumn/winter, get a few jars in now because you’ll get through them at a rate of knots. Use it to make jam tarts, filled cupcakes, or just leave it out next to some crackers – it’ll go down a treat, whatever you do!

For more sweets why not try frankentreats or Halloween pull-apart bread? They look super spooky. This pumpkin hummus or this pumpkin herb cheese ball would make for an impressive savoury element.

We hope you all have a very happy Halloween, do follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to make sure you never miss another post!