Part I

Since moving to Germany & refusing to abandon English Christmas customs (it's far more fun to take on board other countries' customs in addition to your own) home baking is required. Pre Germany I would have bought a Christmas cake and mince pies*, every year since I have resorted to Nigella's Christmas cake recipe that requires soaking the dried fruit in brandy until it can absorb no more, and then and only then is the cake made.

This is not a cake to be taken lightly, alcoholics, drivers and children should all give it a wide birth...one year I quite innocently gave some to German friends (they are more used to dry Stollen here) they didn't expect the cake to have quite as much attitude as it did!

I do hope I have enough brandy in the house...

* mincemeat was made at the weekend, which then necessitated much googling of the term in order to satisfy the teen's question as to why mincemeat has no meat in it...