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 Emma from Essential Nature Yoga and I invite you to join us for a deliciously spooky evening of feasting and folklore. We will start the evening with some suitably seasonal nibbles and drinks, followed by four courses of warming Autumnal delights and we’ll finish the evening with sharing some hair-raising Samhain stories and the folklore of this mysterious and magical time of year.
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! For the menu we’ve taken inspiration from the Americas - particularly the Day of the Dead festival in Mexico which has so many echoes of out own Celtic celebrations. 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 30th and Friday 31st October 2025
On arrival:
Warming Spiced Apple punch
Mini potato apples with Hegarty’s cheddar
Bonfire sausages with honey mustard dip
To start:
Pork pibil or spiced roasted pumpkin tostadas with pink pickled onions, pineapple and habanero salsa, coriander & sour cream
The main event:
Smokey chilli con carne with beef brisket
Three bean chilli with oregano
Charred tomato salsa, grated cheddar and sour cream
Roasted squash salad with feta, cranberries and pumpkin seeds
Cinnamon steamed rice
Jalapeno cornbread with lime and chilli butter
For pudding:
Pecan pie with vanilla ice cream
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
To finish:
Rosemary tea (for remembrance) and Samhain cookies during the storytelling
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 30th or Friday 31st October 2025. If you are planning on booking a taxi or organising a lift we’d suggest organising that for 11pm.
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: £60 per person (includes booking fees), for a four-course menu plus a few extras and an evening of spooky storytelling
Dress Code: As spooky as you like! Dressing up is not mandatory but is very much encouraged! This dinner will be hosted in the dining spaces inside at Mother of the Woods which will be cosy . However, we will be going either outside to the firepit or upstairs to the barn for the story telling (weather dependent) so make sure to bring plenty of extra layers, a warm coat or blanket to keep you cosy.
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.
