Scotland gets ready for Halloween

There’s hubble, bubble, toil, and trouble ahead of Halloween, as Peter Ranscombe discovers.

SCOTLAND is preparing to mark Halloween in a wide variety of ways.

The Witchery restaurant in Edinburgh has rolled out its annual display of decorative pumpkins.

The up-market eatery beside the castle has also unveiled its autumn menu.

Highlights include: Findlay’s of Portobello haggis, served with turnip Bhaji, and pineapple chutney; roast breast of Balmoral estate pigeon with roast candied beets, caramelised celeriac puree, and grilled oyster mushroom; and loin of Glenfeshie estate red deer, blueberry relish, roast squash, pomme dauphine, and walnut black butter.

Meanwhile, over in the capital’s New Town, The Couldron bar and restaurant chain has conjured up Halloween versions of its afternoon teas and potion-making sessions.

The venue is also running pumpkin-carving sessions throughout the month.

Craig Barnes, general manager of The Cauldron’s Edinburgh branch, said: “For us, every day is Halloween, but now we get to share even more of that passion and enthusiasm through this unique food and beverage experience.”

Matthew Cortland, co-founder of The Cauldron Company, added: “Halloween is our absolute favourite time of year, and we pulled out all the stops with the release of our newest cocktail: ‘Blood & Sinew’.

“This drink has been in development for more than two years, as it’s pretty tricky to get right, and we feel that Halloween is the right time to unveil our latest creation.”

The National Theatre of Scotland will begin streaming The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll & Mr Hyde on Monday.

The show was recorded live at Leith Theatre and stars David Hayman.

Writers Hope Dickson Leach and Vlad Butucea returned to Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella for inspiration and moved the story from London to Edinburgh.

This autumn’s film follows on from a live-streamed version back in February.

Drummond Castle Gardens near Crieff is planning a range of Halloween-themed activities on 30 Saturday.

The castle promises a “creepy costume competition”, a “scary woodland walk”, and “Halloween games”.

The pre-booked fun kicks off at 1pm and runs until 3.30pm.

Read more articles on Scottish Field’s news pages.

Plus, don’t miss the November issue of Scottish Field magazine.