Pumpkin Power

How to carve a perfect Halloween lantern

Our American cousins know how to celebrate Halloween with style. One of the trademark symbols you’ll see outside almost every house at this time of year is a huge carved pumpkin, or Jack-o-lantern as they’re known across the pond.

There’s a knack to carving a great pumpkin lantern. If you want yours to be the envy of all your neighbours this October, follow this step-by-step guide. How to Carve a Pumpkin

First choose the right pumpkin. Firm and smooth is best for beginners. Advanced or creative types might like a more gnarled and warty specimen. Make sure there are no soft spots and that the stalk is nice and firm. Most importantly, make sure it sits up without rolling over, or your lantern will be a failure!

If you have to buy your pumpkin in advance, store it in a cool dry place, like the garage, to help keep it fresh.

The best carved pumpkins require good tools. You can buy children’s pumpkin carving sets which work reasonably well for simple designs. However if you’re after something showy you’ll need a sharp kitchen knife with a long blade, a smaller paring knife and possibly a craft knife. A bradawl is useful too. These tools are adult-only for obvious reasons.

An ice cream scoop or large spoon is great for scooping out the flesh. Don’t forget to lay down lots of newspaper or plastic sheeting because pumpkin carving is a messy business.

Plan your design before you start. Draw a circle roughly the same size as the area you want to carve and get your children to help. If you’re stuck there are some great free templates available on the internet. Tape your design on to the pumpkin then use a cocktail stick to push through the paper to mark out the design. Then cut it out.

You can carve other veg, like turnips, though it’s more difficult to hollow them out. You can use cocktail sticks to fasten other small vegetables, like courgettes, carrots and tiny squashes to your lantern for decoration. With a bit of ingenuity you can give your pumpkin face ears or horns. Broccoli and cauliflower florets can make funky hair.

The only limit is your imagination. The pumpkins in the photo were carved by a friend’s husband. He hollowed out and carved a little pomegranate for his pumpkin monster to chomp on!

Once you’ve created your masterpiece soak it in water for an hour. Then pop it on your doorstep for everyone to admire. If you’re worried about leaving a lit candle inside, try an electric tea light. They flicker like the real thing but are totally safe.

Happy Halloween!