Win At Bonfire Night With This Handy Checklist

Bonfire Night can be a fun family event, but it’s not as straightforward as some other times of the year. There’s the logistics of getting everyone out of the house on time, the chance of not finding a parking space and then everyone coming home freezing cold.

Here’s how to be prepared and do Bonfire Night right:

Heading out to a local display organised by somebody else is so much easier than organising one at home. There’s bound to be a good one near you, so find out from friends and neighbours which has the best reputation.

Then, check what the deal is for getting in. Some have a limited number of tickets, but lots of others are free and you need to get there early to bag your spot. Have a plan about what time you’re leaving and which area of the venue you’re aiming for, so you don’t end up missing the action because there’s a tree in the way.

Staying warm is one of the biggest problems on Bonfire Night, because you’ll be standing outside in the cold for ages. Don’t have the last-minute rush of trying to find hats and gloves for everyone. Lay them out in advance and avoid the rush.

Try to pick distinctive coats and hats for the kids, so you can spot them easily. Jackets with fluorescent strips are even better for spotting them in the dark. You can even give them a torch and teach them a code to flash with it if they get lost.

Before leaving the house, make sure everyone has:

• Gloves
• Hat
• Scarf
• Warm socks to go in wellies or boots
• A torch

If the display you’re going to allows sparklers, then make sure you take some with you. There’ll be some pretty upset little people if everyone else is spelling their names out in these fiery wands and they can’t have one too.

There’s likely to be food and drinks stalls at your fireworks display, but there might be long queues and nothing suitable for the little ones. Pack a small backpack with a flask of hot chocolate and some of their favourite tasty treats. It’s important not to get too hungry when you’re out in the cold.

Make sure your heating’s going to come on half an hour or so before you get back, so nobody’s returning to a freezing house. Leave blankets out too, so everyone can wrap themselves up snuggly as soon as they walk through the door.

When everyone comes in cold and famished it’s vital to get a hot meal inside them quickly. Use the Cook4Me to prepare it in advance and the auto keep-warm mode means they can be tucking in as soon as they’ve got their coats off.

Another Bonfire Night favourite is jacket potatoes, but to get the skins nice and crispy these take ages to cook. Bake them in the oven in advance and heat them up when you get back in for a parcel of steaming potato goodness.