I have been reading Christmas stories and poems to my children at bedtimes and I found a book that I had as a child.  In it I rediscovered my favourite poem- sure you will remember this one too Mum:

For fifty weeks I've languished
Upon the cupboard shelf
Forgotten and uncared for
I've muttered to myself
But now the year is closing
And Christmas time is here
They dust me down and tell me
To show a little cheer
Between the plaster snowman
And little glassy lake
They stand me in the middle
Of some ice covered cake
And for a while there's laughter
But as the week wears on
They've cut up all the landscape
Till every scrap is gone
Then with the plaster snowman
And little lake of glass
I'm banished to the cupboard
For one more year to pass

© Colin West

• 280g plain flour
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 75g sugar
• 1 egg
• 240ml buttermilk
• 60ml water
• 90ml vegetable oil or melted butter 
• 12 teaspoons of mincemeat
• Few pinches of cinnamon

1.  Prepare 12 hole muffin tin with muffin cases and heat oven to 190 C/ 385 F
2. Mix flour, bicarb, salt and sugar in a bowl
3. In a separate jug/bowl beat the egg and add the buttermilk, oil and water
4. Mix the wet with the dry till all the flour is incorporated, but do not over mix- gentle and lazy is the way to go with muffins!  It will look lumpy, but this is good- trust me!
5. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases to come just under half way full
6. Spoon a teaspoon of mincemeat into each one (see picture)
7. Then spoon more mixture over the top (just like next picture)

8. Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes, tops will be slightly brown and the muffin will spring back when pressed gently. 















9. Once out of the oven simply pinch a sprinkle of cinnamon on the top for a truly festive flourish

• 1 bottle of drinkable red wine (don't go wild but you should never consider cooking with wine you wouldn't like to drink by itself!)
• The peeled zest or 1 orange
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 4 cloves
• 1 star anise
• 4 tablespoons of honey

This is a fabulous English pudding that is a miracle of low effort, high reward cooking. 

• 600ml double/heavy/whipping cream
• 140g sugar
• 1 lime- zested finely and juiced
• 1 lemon- zested finely and juiced

1. Prepare your serving dishes- I like to use either shot glasses or small coffee/tea cups.  This is a very rich dessert and I like to serve it in small portions with a thin, crispy biscuit- homemade or bought, tuile or ginger for preference.  This will fill 6 ramekins (large portions) or 10-12 teacups or shot glasses.
2. Place the sugar and cream in a saucepan. 
3. Over a medium flame, heat the cream and sugar till just under the boil whilst gently stirring.
4. Take off the heat and whisk in the zest and juice.
5. Pour into dishes and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hours till set.