Gingerbread and Egg Nog

The gingerbread is an adaptation of one by cake expert Barbara Maher, her lily gilded only with the addition of stem ginger. Mince pies such as Josceline Dimbleby’s – pastry spiked with orange zest and with the addition of cream cheese to moisten the filling – make a good alternative. The egg nog is a traditional one from the Southern states of America.