6 ideas for a gluten-free kids' Hallowe'en party
Because covid meant we weren't allowed parties, if you've got children who'd like to celebrate, I reckon it's worth going all out this year and having a big bash. But if you're worried about finding fun party food for your little gluten-free ghosts, witches and goblins, fear not.
Clearly, it needs to be quick and easy and doesn't cost the earth in the freefrom aisle, so here are some quick fixes.
Good news: there's plenty of food you can make yourself that will keep everyone satisfied and won't be too taxing on your wallet.
The savoury stuff
It'd be easy to overlook savoury food at a time when everyone's gathering sweets, but you might not want your gorgeous little pumpkins to bounce up and down all night from a massive sugar rush. So here are 3 ideas to keep everything nice and balanced.
Pumpkin face sandwiches Take a pumpkin cutter and cut out faces from gluten-free toast. Spread one face with a garish-coloured filling (like tomato sauce or cream cheese mixed with lime food colouring) and then sandwich them together.
Pumpkin curry That carved out pumpkin is a shame to throw on the compost! The good news is it can be made into a vegan curry, which is great if you've got little ghosts and goblins who can't have dairy or egg. This one from the BBC can easily be adapted with a vegan curry paste. Sub a gluten-free naan bread for serving and it'll keep little coeliacs happy.
Carrot stick fingers & purple hummus Add a couple of notches to your carrot sticks, taper the ends and serve with a beetroot hummus.
The (quite healthy) sweet stuff
There are plenty of healthier sweet things you can give the little people.
Ghost bananas Peel a banana, dip it in melted white chocolate and put two raisins on it for eyes. Pop in the freezer for at least 4 hours. Use Green & Black's white chocolate if you want one that's not got traces of wheat.
Jack o'lanterns This is possibly the easiest and quickest homemade party food you could get. Peel a satsuma and put a tiny slice of green apple in the centre. That's it!
Eyeball jelly Drain a can of lychees, push a red glace cherry into the middle of each, and add one to a glass filled with almost set green jelly. (For really small people, reusable plastic 'glasses' are available.)
So there you go - 6 ideas to give you a really ghoulish gluten-free Hallowe'en and caters for practically every freefrom diet going!
Are you hosting your own party? Do share your experience and photos!
Comments