I know lots of people who are dashing around, last-minute, looking for fake blood that they can buy at the shops for their Halloween parties. Last year I spent some time looking around several sites looking for the perfect fake blood, one that had the right constancy and colour. Most that I found looked too bright and thin.

I ended up looking for DIY versions and finally made my own up.

The recipe below is a rough guide. I found that by testing it as I went along allowed me to create the right colour and thickness that I wanted to use on my face and clothing.

You will need:

• Glycerine (found in the baking aisle)
• Coffee powder
• Cocoa powder
• Red food colouring
• Golden syrup

I started with the golden syrup, about a tablespoon and added half a teaspoon of cocoa powder and coffee powder.

I then added a few drops of glycerine and a few of red food colouring (you will not need much trust me).

Mix it all together and then simply adjust the amount of cocoa and or coffee to get a darker red and a few more drops of glycerine to get the proper gloopy effect.

I keep testing it on the back of my hand to see how it dried as I wanted drops of bloods running down my face that would then set a little. The “blood” set in the drops and looked wet still which I thought really added to the effect.

The blood is also edible so it doesn’t matter if you get any in your mouth. I would suggest that you only use on clothing that you don’t mind getting stained as the red colouring does leave a pink tinge. As for my face I made sure that I primed it well with lots of moisturiser to prevent staining and it came off with a little soap and water. Test it on your hand to see how well it comes off.

Happy Halloween everyone!