It's coming up to that time of year again when our thoughts turn to ghosts, ghouls and bumps in the night.

Here at Dormouse we have been dreaming up some fantastic ideas for an atmospheric afternoon tea - after dark. Here are some of our evilest ideas...

Devilish Decorations

Carved pumpkins or gourds, black tea lights and a spooky soundtrack (think Evanescence or Mike Oldfield) all set the scene. Send out your invitations written in blood (red pen) and seal with wax.

Sand-witches and Sinful Savories

Why not try dirt and worm sandwiches aka prawns in marie rose sauce served in German black bread.

Or serve deviled egg eyes - cut 6 cold boiled eggs in half, mix yolks with 1tsp dijon mustard, 4tbsp mayo and mash with a fork, refill eggs. Make pupils out of black and green olives by cutting a ring of green olive and placing a dot of black olive in the middle and placing on the egg yolk. For a blood shot sprinkle with paprika for a blood shot look.

Poisionous puddings

Devils food cake would go down a treat alternatively spiced pumpkin cake is a great way to use up all your lantern inners.

Or make ghoulish cupcakes by making minicakes to your favorite recipe and smothering them in white roll out icing, decorate with black icing to make ghosts and spiders etc.

The Beast's Beverages

Hot or iced tea with a few drops of red food colouring served sans milk can be subsitituted for blood for the Vampires amongst you, serve in goblets for authenticity.

Alternatively make a witches brew by mixing cranberry and orange juice and popping in a few jelly lizards, frogs and snakes.

Don't have nightmares, eat well! Mwa ha ha haaa ...

Half term is looming and Little D will have a full week off from school. He is doing a lot more work at school these days, year one is very different than reception and although he is enjoying it, I think he is excited about the potential for a bit of a break.

On Saturday after swimming we popped into our local Brewers Fayre at Clayton Green in Chadderton. It's just ten minutes away but we've never been and we were interested to see their new Beano themed play area and try their children's menu as part of their Brewers Scare event that is taking place all this week.

If you are a Harry Potter fan you’ll know that food and drink are a very central part of the books (and films). From Chocolate Frogs to Pumpkin Juice there’s hardly a chapter that passes without the description of some glorious meal or weird and wonderful foodstuff.  

Halloween is here again and annual visitations from ghouls, demons and things that go bump in the night are upon us. If the wailing and moaning coming from your kitchen signals that it resembles a scene from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre , rather than a vision of domestic bliss, then Lily Vanilli's new book A Zombie Ate My Cupcake is for you.Twenty five spooktacular treats include; black cherry Dracula’s Bite red velvet cupcakes , Marzipan Beetles, wicked dark chocolate Devil’s Food Cakes and even a Sweeny Todd style pie-cake complete with finger.It's deliciously different and a must for all horror (and cake) fans!A Zombie Ate My Cupcake! by Lily Vanilli is published by CICO Books at £9.99, hardback and available form all good bookshops or call 01256 3062699. Visit www.cicobooks.com

This is not a sponsored post.

We put our cook's hats on this morning at Dormouse and whipped up some delicious bat biscuits for Halloween.

If you are more a fan of cakes and sandwiches, than things that go bump in the night then nip down to the London Hilton this Halloween. The celebrated hotel is serving up all manner of scarily delicious treats alongside traditional afternoon favorites, as part of it's Halloween themed tea.

Diners are first treated to an array of savoury sandwiches including Foreman's smoked salmon and horseradish, honey roast ham and Pommery mustard, prawn mayonnaise and baby gem lettuce, cucumber with cream cheese and chives and egg and cress. This is followed by tiers of praline chocolate white chocolate and raspberry scones, served with Devonshire clotted cream. Last but not least come a number of wicked miniature fancies including: almond paste pumpkin, miniature toffee apples, dark chocolate witches hat and a blood orange bat. Dark chocolate and orange and gooey toffee cupcakes are also on offer.

It's coming up to that time of year again when our thoughts turn to ghosts, ghouls and bumps in the night.

Here at Dormouse we have been dreaming up some fantastic ideas for an atmospheric afternoon tea - after dark. Here are some of our evilest ideas...

Devilish Decorations

Carved pumpkins or gourds, black tea lights and a spooky soundtrack (think Evanescence or Mike Oldfield) all set the scene. Send out your invitations written in blood (red pen) and seal with wax.

Sand-witches and Sinful Savories

Why not try dirt and worm sandwiches aka prawns in marie rose sauce served in German black bread.

Or serve deviled egg eyes - cut 6 cold boiled eggs in half, mix yolks with 1tsp dijon mustard, 4tbsp mayo and mash with a fork, refill eggs. Make pupils out of black and green olives by cutting a ring of green olive and placing a dot of black olive in the middle and placing on the egg yolk. For a blood shot sprinkle with paprika for a blood shot look.

Poisionous puddings

Devils food cake would go down a treat alternatively spiced pumpkin cake is a great way to use up all your lantern inners.

Or make ghoulish cupcakes by making minicakes to your favorite recipe and smothering them in white roll out icing, decorate with black icing to make ghosts and spiders etc.

The Beast's Beverages

Hot or iced tea with a few drops of red food colouring served sans milk can be subsitituted for blood for the Vampires amongst you, serve in goblets for authenticity.

Alternatively make a witches brew by mixing cranberry and orange juice and popping in a few jelly lizards, frogs and snakes.

Don't have nightmares, eat well! Mwa ha ha haaa ...