Cooking should never be a nightmare, but there’s one night of the year where giving your guests a fright at the dinner table is expected. If you’re looking for a full-on feast of blood and guts or just want to add a subtle gothic tone to your food on 31 October, we’ve got plenty of recipes to turn Halloween dinnertime into a real spooker. Whatever you decide to cook, do away with the kitsch plastic props and use Halloween as an excuse to whip up a storm in the kitchen.

Go down the visceral route with Merlin Labron-Johnson’s Calf brains on toast or Regula Ysewijn’s Ox heart stuffed with mushroom duxelle – two recipes that might sound a little challenging but one mouthful will put any doubts to rest. Or perhaps you want to serve something made from the innards of your beautifully carved pumpkin – Robert Thompson’s Pumpkin soup or Helen Jessup’s Pumpkin and pecan cake with cream cheese frosting should do the trick. Finally, if you’re looking for vivid reds, murky blacks and seasonal flavours, try Christoffer Hruskova’s Beetroot sorbet, Andrew MacKenzie’s Squid ink risotto or this delicious Blackberry Mary from The Gorgeous Kitchen.

If you're looking for dinner party inspiration, we've done all the tricky meal-planning for you. Check out our menus themed around pumpkin, the gothic and offal to create your perfect Halloween feast.