A homemade Halloween
When the clocks are about to change and the evenings begin to draw in, there is real pleasure in a weekend spent making rather than buying. Halloween lends itself to this perfectly, and our new build homes are the ideal place to begin a few seasonal traditions of your own. Whether you have recently collected the keys to one of our new build houses or are simply looking forward to the season, here is a considered, homemade approach to the spooky season.
Carving the perfect pumpkin
Begin with a good pumpkin, firm and unblemished, with a reasonably flat base so it sits well. A serrated knife, a sturdy spoon and a marker pen are all you really need, though a dedicated carving set makes for cleaner lines. Picking your own at a local pumpkin patch is a lovely way to get the whole family involved in the experience.
Draw your design first, then cut the lid at a slight angle so it rests neatly rather than dropping through. Scoop out the insides, which you can simply discard, or set aside if you intend to cook with the pumpkin. Carve slowly, and light the finished pumpkin with a battery candle rather than a flame, which is both safer and longer-lasting on the doorstep. Did you know, a thin coating of oil along the cut edges will keep it looking its best for several days. A carved pumpkin glowing on the step is a welcoming sight outside any of our new build homes. For those seeking a more ambitious design, there are plenty of free stencils online, including from the BBC.
Classic toffee apples
Few things capture autumn quite like a toffee apple, and the generous open-plan kitchens in our new build houses leave ample room to make a proper batch. Choose firm, tart apples such as Granny Smiths, and remove any waxy coating by dipping them briefly in just-boiled water and drying them thoroughly, so the toffee has something to hold to. Push a wooden skewer firmly into each core. For the toffee, dissolve 400g of golden caster sugar in 150ml of water over a low heat, then stir in a tablespoon of golden syrup and bring to the boil.
Allow it to reach the hard-crack stage, around 150°C on a sugar thermometer, before tilting the pan and dipping each apple, turning to coat it evenly. Set them on baking parchment to harden. The result is glossy, sharp and a good deal better than anything shop-bought.
Treats worth decorating
This is the part to keep relaxed, and there is no need to bake from scratch unless you want to. A packet of plain cupcakes or biscuits from the supermarket, a tube or two of writing icing and a bag of sweets will take you a long way, and the family kitchens in our new build homes are just the place to spread it all out.
For spider cupcakes, swirl on some chocolate icing, add a chocolate-covered sweet for the body and pipe thin legs either side. Ghosts are even simpler: smooth white icing over the top and add two dots of black for the eyes. For a cobweb, pipe concentric circles of icing and drag a cocktail stick from the centre outwards to feather them into a web, and a little orange icing with a green sweet for the stalk makes a neat pumpkin. Best of all, hand the children a bowl of sweets and let them build monster faces, where the less tidy the better. Nothing here needs a steady hand or much time, which is pretty much the point.
The pleasure of a seasonal home
Half the pleasure of a new build home is making it your own, and the seasons are the most natural place to begin. Across our new home developments, we watch people turn a new build house into a warm, lived-in home remarkably quickly, and an afternoon of carving and decorating is a wonderful way to start. If you are considering new homes for sale this autumn, there are few better moments to imagine the traditions you might one day keep in yours.
Discover new build homes for sale with Jones Homes, and find a place to make each season your own.
