Jennifer Sheahan: How to make your own Christmas crackers and gingerbread truffles

As the countdown begins in earnest, these are quick and easy ways to make your own fun and sustainable festive treats

Jennifer Sheahan makes her own Christmas crackers, left and centre, and truffles, right.

I often pick up fancy Christmas crackers as a last minute gift if I have been invited to someone’s house around the holidays. It’s a tip that I picked up from my mum and it’s a great one. Crackers are fun, they provide a little entertainment, and they’re something a little different to the standard bottle of wine or box of chocolates (not that there’s anything wrong with those).

This year I decided to try my hand at making my own crackers, and filling them with treats I’d made myself. I wanted to make a more personalised gift, and I liked the idea of making bite-sized after-dinner desserts to go into them.