Cooking for Christmas

Advance preparation and good planning are undoubtedly the key to a calm and happy Christmas. Some of the preparation for Christmas should be completed in November – a good time to make the Christmas cake, puddings and mincemeat. Allow cakes and puddings to become quite cold before storing. Wrap cakes in foil and re-cover puddings with fresh greaseproof papers. Store both in a cool dry cupboard. Mincemeat is time-consuming to prepare and usually more expensive than to buy. Nevertheless, home-made mincemeat is delicious. If it dries out during storage, stir in a little rum or brandy.