A Halloween Supper Steeped in Tradition

As the nights draw in and the air turns crisp, there’s something about late October that makes us want to light a candle, pull on a thick jumper and eat something hot. Halloween is the perfect excuse. Before you reach for the sweets, let’s look at where this strange and wonderful night came from, and why a plate of Arments proper pie and mash might be a great way to celebrate it.

Where It All Began

Halloween’s roots stretch back over two thousand years to Samhain (pronounced “sow-in”), an ancient Gaelic festival marking the end of the harvest and the start of the dark half of the year. Celebrated around 31 October to 1 November, it was a time when the boundary between the living and the dead was believed to wear thin. Families lit bonfires, shared food, and left offerings for wandering spirits.

When Christianity spread across the British Isles, the old traditions blended with the new. All Saints’ Day, or “All Hallows'”, landed on 1 November, making the night before All Hallows’ Eve, which eventually shortened to Halloween.

Magic, Mischief and Disguise

Many of our favourite customs began as protection. People wore masks and costumes so that roaming spirits would mistake them for one of their own. Today’s trick-or-treating has its ancestors in “souling”, when the poor went door to door offering prayers for the dead in exchange for soul cakes. In Scotland and Ireland, children went “guising” in disguise, performing a song or trick for a treat.

Halloween was also a night for divination. Young people bobbed for apples, peeled them in one long strip and tossed the peel over a shoulder, hoping it would land in the shape of a future sweetheart’s initial. Nuts were roasted on the fire to see whether couples would stay together or burst apart.

Myths That Won’t Die

Before pumpkins, the original jack-o’-lanterns were carved from turnips, with glowing coals inside to scare away evil. The name comes from the Irish tale of “Stingy Jack”, a trickster who fooled the Devil and was doomed to wander the earth with only an ember to light his way. Black cats, once thought to be witches in disguise, and bats, drawn to the bonfires’ swarming insects, also became part of the lore. Irish and Scottish emigrants carried all of it to America, where pumpkins were plentiful, and the celebration came back to us bigger than ever.

Why Pie and Mash Fits the Night

Halloween has always been about food: harvest leftovers, warming fires, and sharing a table of food against the dark. That’s exactly where Arments pie and mash comes in.

Few meals say “come in from the cold” quite like a steaming minced beef pie with its crisp, golden pastry, sat with a mound of fluffy mash and drowned in green liquor, the parsley sauce that’s pure East London tradition. A splash of chilli vinegar adds a little fire. It’s honest, hearty and comforting, the kind of food that has fed Londoners for generations.

There’s a spooky bonus too. Pie and mash shops are one of London’s last living traditions, with their tiled walls, and no-frills charm. Eating in one feels like stepping into the past, which is very on-theme for a night when history comes knocking.

No Trick, Only a Treat

On Saturday, October 31st 2026, Arments pie and mash are giving away free treats in-store (while stocks last), and there’s your chance to win a free single pie, mash and liquor meal. Look out for our online competition on Facebook and Instagram, and our in-store promotion.

Make It a Night to Remember

Whether you’re fuelling up before trick-or-treating, warming up after a chilly walk, or hosting a Halloween supper, pie and mash is the treat that actually fills your ribs.

So, this Halloween, carve your turnip (or pumpkin), light the candles and tell a ghost story or two. But first, get yourself a plate of Arments pie and mash. Order online at https://armentspieandmash.com/order/, or visit Arments shop for a heart-warming meal eat in or takeaway.  Even the spirits would be tempted!

Arments Pie & Mash, Pie House, 7&9 Westmoreland Road, Walworth, London SE17 2AX – 0207 703 4974.  www.armentspieandmash.com