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 ...

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.  

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.

October is a fabulous season for squashes and pumpkins just perfect for making soups and stews. If you are looking for a sweet alternative however, here is a lovely recipe for a gorgeous moist and spicy cake perfect with afternoon tea or a cuppa.

Yummy halloween pumpkin cake with luscious lemon cream-cheese frosting

Pumpkin cake ingredients

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

4 medium eggs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon mixed spice

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups cooked mashed pumpkin

Lemon cream cheese frosting (see below)

To make the pumpkin cake

Combine sugar, vegetable oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl; mix well.

Sift dry ingredients intoa separate bowl; stir into oil mixture, beating well.

Stir in pumpkin puree.

Pour batter into two greased and floured 9-inch round layer cake pans.

Bake at 350° for 35 to 40 minutes.

Turn out onto racks to cool.

Make lemon cream cheese frosting

Lemon cream cheese frosting ingredients

250g cream cheese at room temperature

Rind of 1 non waxed lemon

Juice of one lemon

Sifted icing sugar (to taste)

To make the lemon cream-cheese frosting

Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl; beat well until smooth.

Fill pumpkin cake with lemon cream cheese frosting.

Serve with a nice cup of tea (in a Dormouse and The Teapot tea cup)

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 ...