Halloween  has origins which date back to a ancient celtic festival which was know as ’samhain’. This festival of ‘Samhain’ celebrated the end of the harvest  and marked the end of the season of the sun (summer) and the beginning of the season of darkness & cold (winter).  The Celts celebrated their new year on October 31st. It was a time to take stock of supplies and slaughter livestock for the winter ahead. The festival would involve bonfires into which the bones of the livestock were thrown. They believed that evil spirits came in the long hours of the winter darkness and thought that both light and noise would frighten off the evil spirits.

It was also known as mischief night which was a night when children would play tricks, hence ‘trick or treat’. During the 3 days from 31st October to 2nd November there are both pagan and christian celebrations with ,’ all hallows eve’ also know as ‘halloween’, followed by ‘hallows day’ which is also known as ‘All saints day’, and this is followed by ‘All souls day’.

One strong symbol of halloween is the cut out pumpkin and in surveys 99% of pumpkins sold are turned in to lanterns. Make sure you have a good sharp knive to cut out your pumpkin as they are very tough and fibrous so check out the selection of knives and knive sets available here.

The pumpkin is a squash which is a member of the cucumber family, it can be used in both sweet and savoury dishes and cooked in a variety of ways so why not try a pumpkin recipe this halloween.

There are hoards of brightly coloured pumpkins available now which are often overlooked for cooking which is a shame, as they are versatile, inexpensive, with a great sweet flavour.  They should be peeled and the seeds removed, (toast these as they are very nutritious being rich in fat and protein for a healthy snack), plus they are a good source of vitamin A. Always look for a firm pumpkin which feels heavy when choosing your pumpkin. Their orange flesh is sweet and suitable for both sweet & savoury dishes - soup and pumpkin pie are two very well known favourite pumpkin recipes.

 For some great pumpkin recipes make sure you take a look at my next blog ‘The versatile pumpkin!’The three days of superstition struggling with religious belief.