How to...

Published on Monday 30 October 2006 00:14

WITH the scariest night of the year almost upon us, ditch those garish pumpkins and celebrate a truly Scottish Halloween with a terrifying tumshie lantern.

WHAT TOOLS WILL I NEED?

As well as a tea-light and a long piece of strong string for carrying, you will need a screwdriver, a small, sharp knife and a tough spoon for scooping out the flesh. Lay down some newspaper to collect the mess.

HOW DO I SELECT A NEEP?

Large neeps are less fiddly to carve, but smaller, lighter ones are easier for young children to carry. The more misshapen the better, as it's supposed to look ghoulish, but a good shape is one that tapers down towards the 'chin', making it look like a creepy, glowing skull.

WHERE DO I START?

Cut the top off the neep and set it aside to use as a lid. Using the knife, start to carve out a dip in the top of the turnip flesh. Once there is enough room to get a spoon in, start hollowing out the lantern. If you make the walls thin enough, an eerie translucent glow from the tea-light will shine through to great effect. Next, using the sharp knife, carve a spooky face into the neep. Remember it is supposed to look scary - no gap-toothed grins allowed.

WHAT'S NEXT?

Flatten out the inside base, making a slight depression to hold the tea-light. Light the candle and drip a little wax into the depression, then quickly stick the tea-light into the molten wax to hold it in place.

Pierce a small hole at each side of the top of the neep using the screwdriver, and thread the string through to use as a handle, before replacing the lid. If you're placing the lantern on your doorstep, you might want to cut the bottom off to give it a flat base.

HEALTH AND SAFETY?

Carving a neep isn't easy, as the flesh is tough and woody. Involve children by getting them to draw their preferred face on to the neep with a biro, but carve the design yourself.

WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH THE MESS?

Eat the leftover neeps for dinner. They're delicious mashed with lashings of butter and black pepper.