Are you ready to be spooked?
Samhain (the Irish origins of Halloween and Celtic New Year) is the most strange and spine-chilling day of the year. It was believed on Samhain eve that the old year dies at sunset, while the new year begins at sunrise, rendering the space in between free from the bonds of time and convention and subject to the desires of otherworldly spirits.
This Samhain we invite you to join us for a deliciously spooky evening of feasting and folklore. We will be serving four courses of warming Autumnal delights and interwoven with the food we will be sharing some hair-raising Samhain stories and the folklore of this mysterious and magical time of year.
As you feast on the abundance of the harvest season, enter a world of seascapes, mythic battles of darkness and light, gods, goddesses, freakish nature spirits, ghouls and frights, as the doors between the worlds of the living, dead and immortal are opened for a real feast of the soul!
Meanwhile you will feast on freshly baked Irish bread, gently spiced pumpkin soup, slow-cooked beef with creamy mash, roasted roots and the most divine apple and frangipane pie. Come with empty bellies and opens minds - prepared for all the magic this time of year can offer.
This dinner will be hosted in the beautiful Mother of the Woods Retreat. Located between Saintfield and Lisburn this is a gorgeous Georgian house and retreat centre owned and run by Essential Nature Yoga.
Folklore & Feasting: Samhain Supper
Thursday 31st October 2024
On arrival:
Warming Spiced Apple punch & mini potato apples with Hegarty’s cheddar
To start:
Pumpkin, lentil and ginger soup with crispy kale
Olive & rosemary soda bread & charred scallion butter
The main event:
Slow-cooked beef bourguignon with red wine and mushrooms
Mushroom & parsnip bourginon with red wine (veggie)
Creamy colcannon mash
Caramelised shallots & roasted roots with freekeh
and a honey mustard dressing
To refresh:
Spooky meringues with ‘bloody’ compote
For pudding:
Erin’s apple & frangipane divination pie served with vanilla custard
Keep an eye out for trinkets hidden in the pie - find a ring and you will find love, find a coin and you will be rich
The drinks: This event is BYO. Please bring a bottle (or more) of your favourite tipple. A welcome drink will be provided on arrival
The time: 7pm on Thursday 31st October 2024. If you are planning on booking a taxi or organising a lift we’d suggest organising that for 10.30pm.
The place: Mother of the Woods Retreat, 31 Back Road, Cargacreevy, Lisburn , BT27 6TR (please see the event confirmation email for full details on how to find the venue - but DO NOT go to the Back Road in Drumbo)
The cost: £55 per person (includes booking fees), for a four-course menu plus a few extras and an evening of storytelling and
Dress Code: As spooky as you like! Dressing up is not mandatory but is very much encouraged! This event will be hosted in the barn at Mother of the Woods. There are heaters in the barn but we do suggest wrapping up warm and bringing a couple of extra layers in case you need them.
Seating: You will be seated with other guests. If you are not comfortable sitting with other people then please do not book tickets as unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to seat groups separately.
Dietary Requirements: This menu is suitable for vegetarians. Unfortunately for this event we can’t cater for other dietary requirements.
Cancellation Policy: We have recently updated our cancellation policy and we now charge an administrative fee for cancellations up to one week in advance of the event. If you cancel less than one week before the event we cannot offer a refund unless we can resell your tickets. All tickets are transferable if you can find another guest to come in your place. For full details of our cancellation policy please click here.
