What do you want for Christmas?
We’ve been working so hard recently that I think I’m beginning to lose touch. Pointing the jalopy’s nose homeward this evening, I was surprised to see a Christmas tree strung with lights in Saffron Walden High Street. Why not? It’s December after all. Danny emailed me his Christmas list two weeks ago and I asked him if it was still relevant this morning at breakfast. His response was typical of our fast moving world, ‘I’m not bothered about the main present (a filter coffee machine). But the rest stand...
read moreBest mincemeat recipe for mince pies and puddings
Mince pies are the quintessential Christmas treat. But every year loads of us bite into a proffered mince pie and resolve never to accept one again. it’s a shame as nothing beats a homemade one, bursting with mincemeat and a slug of brandy. I always make a few on Christmas Eve. I was pretty smug about them until Anne Mary mentioned that she always made her own mincemeat. I’m embarrassed to admit this but five years ago I didn’t know that you could make your own. I rushed home and thumbed through our cookbooks, convinced that...
read moreChristmas Pudding Recipe
Everyone wants to make the perfect Christmas pudding. The pressure is on from November 1st. Even if you make yours then, you are bound to hear of someone’s cousin’s friend who makes the pudding to die for, just after Easter. Don’t worry. We have the recipe for a perfect pud. We’ve made this the week before Christmas and it still tasted great. It is better if it has a few weeks to mature. Our recipe was initially inspired by Myrtle Allen’s recipe from The Ballymaloe Cookbook and we have tweaked it for the last...
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