Halloween Mummy Wellington — a plant-based British recipe by BOSH!
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Halloween Mummy Wellington

Every Halloween we end up making this and honestly it never gets old. There's something brilliant about a dish that looks this dramatic but is secretly just really, really delicious food underneath all the theatre. You've got sweet roasted butternut squash, a deep umami mushroom duxelles, and all of it wrapped up in golden pastry shaped like a mummy. It's the kind of centrepiece that makes everyone at the table actually gasp, and then immediately go in for seconds. Make this one, trust us.

Cook: 95 min
Serves 6

Before You Start

  • Preheat oven to 200°C
  • Large baking tray
  • Food processor
  • Large pan
  • Large piece of cling film
  • Large baking sheet
  • Chill mushroom & squash mixture for 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 butternut squash large - long and thin is best for this
  • 650g chestnut mushrooms cleaned and halved
  • 180g cooked chestnuts
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 garlic clove peeled
  • 2 thyme sprigs leaves picked off
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 sheets of plant-based puff pastry
  • almond milk to brush

Method

1

Start the filling 

  • Peel the butternut squash, scape out the seeds and cut in half lengthways creating two big pieces
  • Keep one half for another recipe and place one onto a large baking tray
  • Drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt
  • Mix well to ensure the squash is coated in the oil and roast for 35-40 minutes until soft
  • Once soft, remove from the oven and leave to one side until needed
2

Make the mushroom duxelles

  • Place the chestnut mushrooms, cooked chestnuts, garlic clove and a pinch of salt and pepper into a powerful food processor and blend until they make a paste
  • Place a large pan over a high heat and add a drizzle of olive oil
  • Once warm, add the mushroom paste and a few thyme leaves
  • Mix well and cook, stirring every now and then until the paste has dried out, around 5-10 minutes
  • Once cooked, leave to one side to cool
3

Make the wellington filling

  • Roll out a large piece of cling film and spread the mushroom mixture on top
  • Lay the butternut squash half at the edge of the mushroom layer, flat side facing down
  • Use the cling film to lift the mushroom mixture over the squash to coat it, using your hands to shape the mushroom mixture around the the squash (there should be a fatter end and a thinner end) to make a mummy shape
  • Twist the ends of the cling film so it holds tightly together
  • Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up
4

Finish the wellington

  • Unwrap one sheet of puff pastry onto a large baking sheet, keeping the paper on the bottom
  • Unwrap the squash and mushroom mixture from the cling film and place on the middle of the pastry sheet, flat side facing down
  • Brush almond milk a thumbs-width around the edge of the squash Place another pastry sheet over the top of the squash and press down around the base where the almond milk has been brushed to seal the two pastry sheets together
  • Cut around the edge of the pastry, a thumbs-width from the squash to make a neat border - keeping any leftover pastry to decorate the mummy in bandages
5

Make the mummy

  • In the middle of the fatter part of the butternut squash, use a knife to cut some eye holes out from the 'face', removing the pastry and mushroom layers
  • Slice the off-cuts of pastry into long thin pieces that can resemble bandages for the mummy
  • Decorate the mummy with the off-cuts, covering the top in strips placed diagonally across the top, avoiding the eye hole
  • Glaze the wellington all over with almond milk
  • Cook the wellington for about 45-50 minutes, until golden and delicious

Tips & Variations

  • Make it ahead: You can assemble the whole Wellington the night before and keep it in the fridge unbaked. Just add a few extra minutes to the cooking time if it's going in cold from the fridge.
  • Don't skip the resting time: We know it's tempting to slice straight in, but giving it 5 minutes to rest after baking means everything holds together when you cut it. Worth the wait.
  • Get creative with the mummy face: Use small bits of leftover pastry for the eyes and make it as silly or as spooky as you like. Henry goes full horror movie, Ian keeps it tasteful. There's no wrong answer here.

Why This Works

The trick here is the mushroom duxelles. Cooking the mushrooms down until almost all the moisture is gone means you get this intense, savoury layer that stops the pastry going soggy and adds so much depth. Paired with the sweetness of the roasted squash, the balance is just spot on. The mummy wrapping isn't just for fun either, those pastry strips crisp up beautifully and give you extra crunch in every bite.