Food News, with Christine Rutter

GET into the spooky spirit this Hallowe'en and serve up some fiendish feasts sure to leave your party guests enchanted.

Stores and bakeries across the county are capturing the magical spirit of Hallowe'en with tricks or treats in the shape of witches, warlocks, spectres and pumpkins.

October 31 is a date steeped in spine-tingling tradition. Hallowe'en dates back to pagan rituals of old when people left food and drink for masked and costumed revellers.

A '90s Hallowe'en is still a time of revelling and devilish feasting.

Morrisons in Blackburn has a range of Hallowe'en snacks perfect for any little horror.

The most entertaining have got to be Light Canes - tubes packed with candy beans and capped with a witch's head which glows in the dark and plays spooky music.

Spine-tingling sweets include Hallowe'en Horrors - eight chocolate skeletons (99p), Mega Shock Bags (99p) full of surprises and Exploding Chocolate Lollies (59p), a revelation for the unsuspecting as they fizz and crackle in the mouth. As well as toffee and chocolate apples and fresh pumpkins for those essential lanterns, Morrisons have two Cadbury's treat-size bags (£1.89) each which come with a free painting set, valued at £2.99.

Hampsons, in Ainsworth Street, Blackburn, is celebrating the festival - which originates from the Celtic New Year -with confectionery to scare you silly.

Blood-curdling Dracula and witch cakes are sure to make your hair stand on end. If not, try chocolate Rice Crispies witches or a gingerbread cat or bat dipped in smooth chocolate.

Bright orange or green pumpkin face cakes and white and dark chocolate witches prove wickedly-tempting treats.

The Hallowe'en fare at Oddies, in Ainsworth Mall, Blackburn, have all the ingredients to keep your little monsters happy, from giant chocolate-dipped gingerbread witches flying on brooms and gingerbread in the shape of witches and bats to finger-licking parkin biscuits.

Oddies manager Karen Rishton said: "Children love these special treats. They add a bit of fun to Halloween."

Creepy creations at Greggs, in Market Way, Blackburn, include clever white ghouls and small cakes topped with black plastic spiders.

A beastly bite is the chocolate-covered pumpkin and gingerbread witch.

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