To get everyone in a suitably spooky frame of mind here’s some fun  Halloween facts to impress your friends

• Halloween is thought to date back to the pre-Christian northern hemisphere Celtic festival called Samhain, which means "summer's end". It was believed that at the end of the autumn harvest the veil between the living and spirit worlds thinned, so people dressed in disguise and lit bonfires to ward off ghosts
• Trick or treating is thought to have originated in Scotland and Ireland where children dressed in costume to ask for food or money in return for performing “tricks”, such as singing or dancing.
• The Irish are also responsible for Jack O’Lanterns. Legend has it an Irish man named Stingy Jack invited the devil for a drink but refused to pay. He tricked the devil into turning himself into a coin, then kept it in his pocket next to a cross, so he couldn’t turn back. Stingy Jack ended up barred from both hell and heaven for his trick and spent his days roaming the world carrying a lantern. Originally Jack O’Lanterns were made from turnips or potatoes but when the Irish immigrated to America, pumpkins were much more readily available.

Top lockdown tip

If it’s tricky to get to the shops on a whim for cocktail ingredients here’s a quick list for spirits to stock up on, that work in a range of cocktails:

Vodka - good vodka has a clean taste that means it mixes well with almost anything.

Tequila - a surprisingly versatile mixer, buy it for margaritas, use it with anything fruity, especially citrus

Bitters - works almost like a seasoning, amplifying the flavours of your spirits and mixers; use sparingly

Bourbon - whisky can be divisive but bourbon’s slightly sweeter flavour profile makes it more accessible and a great flavour base for cocktails.

 Even if you’re at home in a bubble this year, bring a little spooky fun into the mix with our menu of Halloween themed cocktails: