Emma Lewis creates a fright-night feast for kids - a fun, simple supper before they go out trick-or-treating, then a spooky spread to come home to

Before they go out

• 100g/4oz cherry tomatoes


• 150g pack mini mozzarella balls, drained


• handful basil


• 400g/14oz green tagliatelle
• 350g jar tomato sauce


• 4 tbsp fresh pesto

Halve the cherry tomatoes and use a small, sharp knife or a teaspoon to remove the seeds. Cut the mozzarella balls in half. Place one half inside each tomato, trimming the edges if necessary to fit it in. Either cut the smallest circles you can from a basil leaf or finely chop the leaves and scrunch into small circles. Place one at the centre of each mozzarella ball.

Boil the pasta. Meanwhile, heat through the tomato sauce. When the tagliatelle is cooked, drain and stir through the pesto and any remaining basil, chopped finely. Divide between 4-6 serving bowls. Spoon over some tomato sauce, then arrange the stuffed tomato eyeballs on top.

The party afterwards

• 320g pack soft wheat tortillas


• 3 tbsp vegetable oil


• 50g/2oz poppy or black sesame seeds

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Use biscuit cutters to stamp out shapes from the tortillas (we used a ghost, cat and witch's hat). Brush all over with oil. Take half the bites and dip one side into the seeds, then spread the bites out on a baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 mins until crisp.
Can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container.

Hellfire spread

Serves 10
Prep time 5 mins plus cooling
Cook time 20-30 mins

• 1/2 squash, peeled, deseeded and diced


• 1 tbsp vegetable oil


• 1/2 tsp ground cumin


• 3 tbsp mascarpone

Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Toss together the butternut squash and oil, then season. Place on a shallow baking tray and roast for 20-30 mins until browned. Leave to cool. Whizz the squash together with the cumin and mascarpone, season and serve. Can be made up to 2 days ahead and stored in the fridge.

Slime sludge

Serves 10
Prep time 5 mins
NO COOK

• 2 avocados, peeled and stoned


• 2 spring onions, chopped


• 1 tomato, chopped
• juice 1 lime
• handful coriander leaves, chopped

Place all the ingredients in a blender or mortar. Whizz or mash everything together until smooth. Serve immediately or the avocado will discolour.

Bloodthirsty squash

Serves 10
Prep time 5 mins
NO COOK

Fill up a kitchen glove with water, secure the end with a freezer clip or rubber band and place in the freezer overnight. When ready to serve, stir together 1 litre each lemonade and cranberry juice with the juice 3-4 limes. Pour into a punch bowl. Remove the hand from the freezer and use scissors to carefully take off the glove. Place in the punch bowl and serve.

Brainballs

Serves 10
Prep time 5 mins
Cook time 10 mins

• 85g/3oz popping corn


• 1 tbsp vegetable oil, plus extra for shaping


• 25g/1oz butter


• 85g/3oz marshmallows

Place the popping corn and vegetable oil in a large pan set over a medium heat. Stir the kernels around the pan to coat in the oil. When the kernels starts to pop, place a lid firmly on top and turn the heat down to low. Cook, shaking the pan often to stop the popcorn burning or sticking, until the corn has stopped popping, about 5 mins. Tip into a bowl, discarding any unopened kernels.

Heat butter and marshmallows over a low heat until melted. Pour over popcorn and mix well until coated. Lightly rub oil over your hands and shape the popcorn into small balls. Set aside on a tray lined with baking parchment and leave to set.

Freaky fingers

Makes 20
Prep time 15 mins plus chilling
Cook time 10-12 mins

• 100g/4oz caster sugar


• 100g/4oz butter


• 1 egg yolk


• 200g/8oz plain flour


• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract


• 20 blanched almonds


• red food colouring, paste is best (optional)

Place the first five ingredients and a pinch of salt in a food processor and whizz just until a ball of dough forms.

Tear off a golfball-size piece of dough and use your hands to roll into finger-size cylinders - you should get about 20. Place on a baking sheet lined with baking parchment - a little apart as they will spread during baking.

Use a knife to make a few cuts, close together, for the knuckles. Place an almond at the end of each finger and trim away excess pastry around the edge to neaten. Place in the fridge for 30 mins, then bake for 10-12 mins just until firm. Leave to cool a little, then paint the almond with food colouring, if you like.

Can be made up to 3 days ahead and stored in an airtight container.

Chocolate orange spider jellies

Serves 10
Prep time 10 mins plus chilling
Cook time 5 mins

Jelly is a must at kids' parties and this one is especially simple. The chocolate spider web adds a spooky touch and tastes great with the jelly.

• 1 litre/13/4 pints smooth orange juice


• 6 strips gelatine


• 25g/1oz dark chocolate

Heat the orange juice in a medium-size pan until nearly boiling. Cover the gelatine with cold water and leave for 5 mins until spongy and softened. Squeeze out any excess water. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the gelatine until dissolved. Let the mixture cool a little, then divide between 10 serving dishes. Place in the fridge for at least 5 hrs, or preferably overnight.

Cover a baking sheet with some baking parchment. Melt the chocolate either in the microwave (1-2 mins should do it) or in a bowl set over a small pan of boiling water. Pour the melted chocolate into a small freezer bag. Make a piping bag by snipping off a tiny piece of one corner. Now pipe out 10 spider-web shapes onto the baking parchment: pipe a circle with a smaller circle inside, then pipe lines coming out from the centre like the spokes of a wheel. Place the chocolate spider webs in the fridge to harden. Just before serving, carefully peel away each spider web from the parchment and place on top of a jelly.

Haunted graveyard cake

Serves 10 generously
Prep time 45 mins plus cooling
Cook time 2 hours

The base of this cake is like a child-friendly brownie - not too rich, but lovely and moist. You can simply top with some chocolate spread and dark biscuits for gravestones, or go all out with this ghostly idea

To decorate

• 1 egg white


• 50g/2oz icing sugar


• 200ml/7fl oz single cream


• 200g/8oz dark chocolate, finely chopped


• 1/2 a 250g pack rich tea finger biscuits


• 100g/4oz double chocolate cookies


• 25g/oz white chocolate


• silver balls, to decorate

For the cake

• 85g/3oz cocoa powder


• 200g/8oz self-raising flour


• 375g/13oz light brown muscovado sugar


• 4 eggs


• 200ml/7fl oz milk


• 175ml/6fl oz vegetable oil

1 To make the ghosts, heat oven to 110C/90C fan/gas 1/4. Whip the egg white in a clean bowl until stiff peaks form. Whisk in the sugar a tbsp at a time and keep whisking for a couple of mins until the mixture is thick and resembles shaving foam. Gently spoon the mixture into a large freezer bag, then cut a 1.5cm hole in one of the corners. Cover a baking sheet with some baking parchment. Carefully squeeze a small circle of whipped egg white out of the bag, pulling upwards as you do to make a ghost shape. Repeat until the mixture is used up - you should get about 15 ghosts. Bake for 11/2 hrs until crisp. Can be stored in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Now make the cake. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Tip the cocoa powder, self-raising flour and sugar into a large bowl, breaking up any clumps of sugar. Mix together the eggs, milk and oil in a measuring cup or bowl, then pour over the dry ingredients and stir everything together until smooth. Grease and line a deep baking dish (20 x 30 x 5cm) with baking parchment. Pour in the cake mixture and bake for 30 mins. Leave to cool, then turn out onto a serving plate. Alternatively, wrap well and store for up to 2 days.

Finish decorating the cake: heat cream in a saucepan until just boiling. Place the dark chocolate in a large bowl and pour over the hot cream. Stir until the chocolate melts. Use a clean brush to paint a layer of chocolate over 7 rich tea finger biscuits, then set aside to cool. Pour the rest of the chocolate mixture over the cake and smooth over with a knife. Whizz the chocolate cookies, or bash in a freezer bag with a rolling pin, until small crumbs form. Sprinkle over the top of the cake.

Place the white chocolate in a small bowl, set over a pan of simmering water. Leave for 5 mins or until melted, then spoon into a small freezer bag. Wait for 10 mins so the mixture is not too runny, then cut a tiny hole in one corner of the bag. Pipe out 2 small blobs onto each ghost, place a silver ball on each to make eyes, then pipe out suitable words and shapes on the gravestones. Leave for 30 mins to set, then push the biscuit gravestones into the cake and arrange the ghosts around. To get the ghosts to 'fly', push a thin wire (you can get these from a florist shop - remember to remove before eating) into the bottom of the ghost, then place in the cake, hiding the wire behind a gravestone.

Reproduced from October 09 issue of Good Food magazine, this month's issue on sale now. Subscribe now and save 25 per cent
Photographs by Gareth Morgans