Halloween is just around the corner and if you’re anything like me, the food angle is the most important component of any event. With so many fantastically frightening food ideas floating around, we’ve compiled a few of our favourites to get you started.

Psst..if you need an excuse to make these things early, don’t forget that today is Friday the 13th!

BANANA GHOSTS

Let’s start easy with these banana ghosts. All you need is some bananas and strategically placed chocolate buttons.

Image and recipe: Spaceships and Laser Beams

SPOOKY SPIDERS

Appetising arachnids that are super easy to make. Firstly, make your favourite deviled eggs (see a simple recipe here). Then get some pitted olives, halve them lengthwise to make the spider bodies, and slice up the remaining halves to make the legs. See Shockingly Delicious for the full instructions.

Image and recipe: Shockingly Delicious

For that extra special touch, present them on a platter and arrange them around a bunch of whole olives.

Image and recipe: Shockingly Delicious

BRISTLY BROOMS

Check out this clever idea by Cocinado con Catman. All you need is cheese slices, pretzel sticks and fresh chives. Fold each cheese slice and cut with a pair of scissors to make the broom fringes. Roll the cheese around a pretzel stick and use some chives to tie it on.

Image and recipe: Cocinando con Catman

CHEESE EYEBALLS

Want to give someone the evil eye? They may as well enjoy a yummy snack while you’re at it. All you need to make these ‘cute’ cheese eyeballs from Cute Food for Kids is some Babybel cheese, sliced up olives, some red gel food colouring (and something to draw with) and some tomato sauce/ketchup to put in the middle of the eyeball.

Image and recipe: Cute Food for Kids

GUACAMONSTERS

How about some scary guacamole? Halve the avocados (removing the seed) and mash up with lime, garlic and salt to make the guacamole. Then use blue corn chips, shredded carrots, cheese, gherkins, capsicums and olives to decorate. See Fork & Beans for full instructions on how to make a Witchamole, Dracumole, Batamole and Frankenguac.

Image and recipe: Fork & Beans

MUMMY TOAST

A fun take on the cheese toastie, using the standard ingredients of bread, tomato sauce/ketchup and cheese. Oh and olives (again! Do olive sales go up during Halloween?)

Image and recipe: Spaceships and Laser Beams

HALLOWEEN CANDY SUSHI

How eerily exotic! To make these gruesome sushi rolls, you’ll need sticky brown rice cereal base, roll ups for the nori and Halloween candy for the toppings. See Fork & Beans for full instructions.

Image and recipe: Fork & Beans

SHREK’S DIRTY Q TIPS

We all love the simple yet elegant, and what could be more elegant than Shrek’s used cotton buds? Gross out the kiddies and tell them it came from Shrek’s ears, nose, belly button.. or worse. All you’ll need is cotton buds, mini marshmallows, white chocolate chips and green food colouring. See the full instructions from the aptly named Shockingly Delicious.

Image and recipe: Shockingly Delicious

Crew Captain’s tip: Surprise your kids with a frightening feast by placing some of these creepy creations in a Stuck On You Bento Box.