T'is the Season

I am in the middle of making Christmas cakes. Each year I make about 30 as I give them as gifts to my relations and close friends. This year I am a little behind but have finally got myself organised and began cooking.

This photo shows the fruit and nut mix that has a full bottle of brandy in it and the fruit and nuts have been soaking the brandy up for a few days. Also in the mix is water and golden syrup. For this amount there is about 3 cups water and approx, 250mls of golden syrup. This is brought to boil, heat turned off, then a lid place on it and left, stirring a couple of times a day.

I usual leave it for about 3 or 4 days and the fruit by then haas plumped up and is thoroughly steeped in booze - its ready for cooking.

Once the cakes have finished baking and cooled, I wrap them in silver foil and then once a week or every 5 or 6 days I pour more brandy, port, sherry in fact any grog over them - about a dessertspoon per cake and re-wrap them.

These cakes will keep for ages - one of my friends kept hers for a

Christmas in July party and it was perfect - maybe its the booze?

A word of warning - you will test positive to a roadside test if you eat a piece just before being tested - this is a fact because we tried it!