The Reader is hosting a Fangtastic Family Feast this Halloween

With less than a week before Halloween, families looking to do something a little bit different are invited to dine at the bewitching Café at the Edge of the Woods.

Liverpool charity The Reader is throwing its very first Fangtastic Family Feast, an immersive experience inspired by BAFTA award-winning writer Mikey Please’s new picture book. It will take place on Saturday 2 November at 11am and 4pm, in collaboration with the publishers, Harper Collins Children’s Books.

As part of the experience, four to nine-year-olds can meet The Reader’s head chef, create a ghastly potion, and take a trip to The Café at the Edge of the Woods at the haunted Grade II listed Mansion House in Calderstones Park, which has been at the centre of many ghost stories and paranormal rumours over the years.

Fancy dress is encouraged as children and their grown-ups will tuck into a ghoulish two-course feast including pickled bats, slugs in goo and maggot fondue.

Lemony Snicket meets Jon Klassen meets Grimms’ fairy tales in this outrageously original children’s story, published in September 2024. Restauranteur Rene’s dreams have finally come true. She has opened a café beside an enchanted wood, and with the help of a newfound waiter, Glumfoot, she is ready to serve the finest cuisine.

But the locals seem to favour a most peculiar palette, requesting all sorts of disgusting things. Can Glumfoot’s quick-thinking save the day?

Liverpool families will join Rene and Glumfoot in this incredible other-worldly story full of magical humour, mythical creatures and culinary curiosities.

The book’s author Mickey Please is also creator and codirector of Oscar-nominated children’s animation film, Robin Robin, as shown on Netflix. Based in London he studied at Wimbledon School of Art, the Royal College of Art and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

What’s on the menu?

For children:

Monster Mocktail: special slushy
Fried Poops: fried chipolatas with vampire blood (tomato ketchup) or a vegan option of Pitted dates with beetroot and apple
Monsters Eyes: chicken nuggets, topped with an olive or a vegan option of vegan nugget, topped with an olive
Maggot Fondue: cheesy orzo pasta or vegan option of orzo pasta in sweet potato cheese sauce
Spooky Fruit Salad: mandarin, lychee and blackberry fruit salad
Trash Pick ‘n’ Mix: pretzel pieces, gummy worms, chocolate-covered candy pieces, popcorn and dried fruit

For adults:

Creepy Cocktail: special alcoholic slushy (a non-alcoholic alternative is also available)
Pickled Bats: Miso caramelized red onion tart with mature cheddar and pickled artichoke. A vegan option is available on request
Maggot Fondue: cheesy orzo pasta or vegan option of orzo pasta with sweet potato cheese sauce
Truffle Stew with Slugs: truffle infused, slow cooked beef stew with crispy mushrooms or a vegan option of truffle infused vegetable stew, with crispy mushrooms
Battered Mice: saffron battered potatoes
Blood Berry Fruit Salad: lychees, black berries, raspberries, blueberries and raspberry coulis

For under one’s:

Cream cheese sandwich
Carrot, cucumber and breadsticks with Hummus
Spooky Fruit Salad

The Fangtastic Feast is part of the Liverpool charity’s Halloween and half-term activity programme for 2024. All proceeds are reinvested into The Reader’s work to ensure it can continue to provide free Shared Reading groups to as many children and adults as possible in Liverpool and beyond.

The Reader is a Liverpool-based national charity which uses literature to connect individuals, help them feel better and to rebuild lost social bonds. It runs 496 adult Shared Reading groups, including 118 in the Liverpool City Region, and 96 weekly Shared Reading activities with children.