"Little bursts of exotic sweetness on a dark November evening — an added bonus is that the macaroons’ snowball-like charm makes them ideal for Christmas gifts."

"In fact, there are some who would say the Christmas mince should be made well before now..."

"You want a nice light fluffy feel when you spoon into the dessert that belies the rich and intense flavour in your mouth."

"As far back as ancient Egyptian times sweet breads, and versions of cakes, were used as expressions of togetherness, love and friendship."

This wonderfully adaptable method also has the advantage of not having to be too neat and perfect

"Mixed spice has a lovely warming quality with a combination of cinnamon, ground coriander seeds, caraway seeds, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves."

"These cute, spooky monsters are little nuggets of chewy, warming peanut goodness, sandwiched together with smooth chocolate ganache."

"First the dough bubbles up and doubles in volume under the warm blanket of a damp tea towel, and second when your buns are rolled and cut and nestled into the oven-proof dish it rises again."

Bread and butter pudding is not something I grew up with but something I make now as an adult, it is a go-to, along with eggy bread, for using leftover bread. 

"Despite their common label as a nut, almonds are technically a stone fruit. What we tend to call the nut is the seed or pit from within the fruit."