Next week’s budget needs to give struggling families glimmer of hope

I’VE been thinking about Christmas already, because I spent last Sunday afternoon making a Christmas cake.

It’s part of the tradition of Christmas in our house, that poor old dad is allowed to footle around the kitchen in late November. After all, if I burn the cake too badly, there’ll be time for the real expert to come to the rescue.

But actually, because I take it seriously, I’ve never made too big a mess of the cake. Baking is measurement, after all. Unlike other forms of cooking, if you follow a good recipe well, weigh all your ingredients carefully, and keep an eye on the oven temperature, nothing can go too badly wrong.