How to Host a Zombie Murder Mystery for Halloween and What to Cook

By Laura Rancie.

Yes, it’s an odd article to feature on the Australian Good Food Guide, wouldn’t you agree? I had the dinner planned for months and every day I got my Editor involved in the latest additions to the haunted-mansion Asylum we turned our home into.

 

Do you blame her for begging me to get you involved too and give you a limb-by-limb description of how to throw a zombie party?  To anyone unsure what to do for Halloween this year, hopefully, this article may inspire you with fresh (albeit ‘walking dead’) ideas. 

 

 

The notion first came about a few years ago when we moved to the Gold Coast from Melbourne and wanted to create a strong friendship community around us. Nothing leans upon that more than asking near strangers to dress up in costume and eat dinner with you and so began our yearly tradition of picking a theme and committing (yes to an asylum - this year) but in general terms, committing to the style 100%. 

 

For the Zombie Asylum, I have drawn on items accumulated over the last few years like a smoke machine, heavy-duty full-length skeletons and dark and moody fabrics that can be used as tablecloths, room dividers, coffin liners – whatever.  This year, they served as all three.

 

Oh, and yes, the first year we did this, we bought a pop-up coffin (it’s a thing) and have absolutely loved setting our house up for Halloween each year with it. The kids love it too.

 

I once saw a man who made 30 zombies then dressed them all, gave them wigs and positioned them in his yard – walking towards his front door, climbing his fence and even on top of his roof.

 

I tried to recreate the look with fewer zombies. Just take some cling wrap and a (very) willing participant – husbands seem to be obliging in this department. You get to cling-wrap them from head to toe, in wrap. Then with a wide-width tape, work your magic and tape them up. One limb at a time. Once that’s done, you’ll need some sharp scissors to cut them out carefully. What you get is a spectacular mould of the person in whatever shape they posed in. 

Because I wanted to recreate the feel of an asylum, I found a cheap online store that had 10-metre rolls of cheap white fabric. I used them to drape on my ceiling to create a vibe. 

I also found a hanging vampire to dangle over the second story looking down into the lounge. His eyes glow and white tablecloths all over my couch so that I don’t have to clean the stains off it in the days prior and it adds to the haunted asylum feel. 

 

In the office when discussing the party, brains as a main did get mentioned several times and while I did look up lamb brain recipes, I knew I wouldn’t have the time nor the appetite for it.

 

Instead, I opted for a simple dish that could be prepared ahead of time and was sure to be a crowd-pleaser for 14 adults - Yotam Ottolenghi’s baked paella with prawns, fresh chorizo and flounder. It turned out fantastic!

 

The depth of flavour obtained by slow baking the tomato paste, onions, chilli, chorizo and garlic shone through to the end. I baked it in two glass dishes in the oven, then dished out onto my 60 cm diameter paella pan, rimmed in lemon wedges and topped with salsa verde. It was a hit. 

 

I asked friends to provide the appetisers and dessert, giving each of them a theme to work around. For example, one particular friend is creative in the food department so I charged her with a charcuterie board resembling a human hand, pictured above. 

While I can’t yet reveal the who dunnit of the night’s murder mystery build-up, I can divulge that having an annual event like this is fun to talk about for months prior to and after the actual night. We all look forward to it and it gives me another chance to not only be creative with the organising part of it, but in the kitchen.

I’d love to hear, what do you do for Halloween?