The Hobgoblin guide to pumpkin carving

4Hobgoblin, Wychwood's strong dark ale, is building on the success of its 2005 national pumpkin carving competition with a flurry of off-trade promotions and activities.

	HOBGOBLIN: THE FLAVOUR OF HALLOWEEN
	4The inclusion of chocolate malt in Hobgoblin's recipe gives it a dangerously moreish toffee/chocolate flavour, which warms the cockles of the heart at Halloween, but also chills down beautifully in the summer.

Already the fastest-growing brand in the top ten premium bottled ale category, Hobgoblin now has distribution in every British supermarket and will have beer-for-a-year competition collarettes on all bottles over the Halloween period. The same competition will also be running on-line on www.wychwood.co.uk alongside Hobgoblin’s immensely popular 'top pumpkin carving tips', which were introduced last year.

Over the Halloween period, Hobgoblin's 'Afraid of the dark, lagerboy?' advertising treatment will run in a selection of national media, the Halloween variant of their iconic 'What's the matter lagerboy? Afraid that you might taste something?' campaign.

"Hobgoblin’s national Art of Pumpkin Carving for Adults competition, in 2005, inspired us to go one step further by challenging our customers to send a picture of themselves and their pumpkin to the brewery (direct or via website)," said Wychwood Brewery managing director Rupert Thompson. "The first 3,000 entries will receive a bottle of Hobgoblin and the overall winner will receive £250 worth of beer and merchandise."

Hobgoblin's top 10 tips of pumpkin carving

One of the most recognisable symbols of Halloween is a carved pumpkin or 'Jack-o-lantern'. Traditionally, glowing lanterns, carved from turnips or gourds, were set on porches and in windows to welcome deceased loved ones, and to act as protection against malevolent spirits.

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1. Pick the size of your pumpkin according to what you want to carve.

Medium-size pumpkins work best for most stencils designs.

Very large pumpkins are good for intricate designs, and as a centrepiece on a doorstep or table.

Small pumpkins may be scattered about for parties, or set in a row on a path/ driveway.

Taller/narrower pumpkins look very different in character to
rounder/squatter ones, so choose the 'personality' you want.

If using a stencil design, select a pumpkin that is close to the shape of the stencil pattern.

2. Select pumpkins that are uniformly orange, ripe and that have no bruises or faults.

3. Use the right carving tools

A boning knife is best to cut the top hole and large pieces from the face of the pumpkin. A paring knife can be used for detail work.

Pumpkin carving kits - from Tesco and Sainsbury's stores for about £3.99, include: a cutting saw, for carving fine, detailed areas, which can be used for the entire pumpkin; a poker tool, used to transfer a stencil design onto a pumpkin (a nail could be used, or an artist's stylus tool, found at most art and craft shops; gutting spoons; and a strong scoop for removing the seeds, pulp and skin from the inside of the pumpkin - an ice cream scoop is perfect.

4. Use the correct lighting to best display your pumpkin. Tea lights are ideal and several can be placed in one pumpkin to give more light. Plain white candles give off the most light. Never leave a lit candle unsupervised, or children unattended with a lit pumpkin or candles.

5. Mark your design on to your pumpkin using a crayon, or use the stencil as a template and a nail to punch through to mark the design.

6. Scrape the bottom of your pumpkin flat, so that a candle will sit level inside.

7. If you want to create really detailed carvings use a stencil for your pattern.

8. Once you've completed your design, carve excess pumpkin off at about a 45 degree angle to allow more light to come through and show the design to its fullest.

9. To help preserve your pumpkin coat the edges with Vaseline - it acts as a barrier to seal in the pumpkin's moisture to help slow down the dehydration process. Use a paper towel with Vaseline on it to coat the inside - it's less messy that way.

10. If your pumpkin starts to dry out and shrivel you can 'bring it back to life' by simply soaking it in water overnight.

October 6, 2006