This week was the week I baked my first ever Christmas Cake.
Now it’s good to bake your Crimbo cake months in advance so you can mature all the lovely fruit and, more importantly, you can feed it. With Brandy. And Jamaican Rum. And whatever takes your fancy really.
By the time I’m cutting into the first slice I reckon we’ll all keel over, I mean how much does a cake ‘eat’? It says 1 – 2 tbsps every couple of weeks. That people is a lot of alcohol just sitting their being soaked up by a cake.
I did a lot of research into which recipe too. There are hundreds out there but in the end I whittled it down to a toss up between Delia and Mary. Mary got the prize because she had dried apricots in hers and I love them.
So, cake now maturing it’s time to turn my attention to the Christmas Pudding. Again, which recipe? Do you have an heirloom recipe handed down from generation to generation? I do so I may go with that one or add a tiny bit of my own to it depending what is in my cupboards.
Half term is starting for us this week, Halloween is coming up fast and next time we chat we’ll be in November. It’s a cliche but my goodness, where did this year go? I’ve even bought my first Christmas gifts.
My best post of the week is all about the Gruffalo Trail in Thorndon Park, Essex where we visited last week and had a great time, the kids LOVED it. If you’re looking for something to do over the holiday and you’re within a good drive then I’d thoroughly recommend it.
How about you? Please choose your Best Post of The Week and add it to the Linky below, have a fabulous weekend and enjoy your half term if you can. If you want to giggle, take a look at Chene’s Bad Mum’s Round-up and breath a sigh of relief as you discover we’re all as bad as one another.
About Marianne Weekes
BLOGS AT: Mari's World; TWITTER: @maris_world. Mother of four and nana to three, Marianne Weekes has spent half her life in the UK and the other half in Italy. Blogging since Jan 2010, she finds it hard to drag herself away from her laptop and writes about food, travel and lifestyle. Always on the lookout for the next thing which takes her down many surprising lanes.
Emma
Saturday 26th of October 2013
We have the fruit for ours soaking as we speak! :D Happy Half term!
Marianne Whooley
Sunday 27th of October 2013
Yum! Happy cake making in Bavaria too :D
Ross Mountney
Saturday 26th of October 2013
Aw! You just brought back memories of me making the Christmas cake with the kids during this half term. Then, when we home educated cooking became part of what we did for our studies at home as it involves so many valuable skills which develop the kids' education; language and vocab, science and maths, physical and mental skills, conversation and team work....etc....and now the kids have moved on into the wider world, (as well as the occasional McDonalds) they still cook for themselves! :)
Marianne Whooley
Sunday 27th of October 2013
You are so right, cooking has so many valuable skills involved plus the kids love it. I don't think I could cope with home educating but I do love getting them in the kitchen with me and hopefully I will pass on my love of good food and the passion of cooking too
Mums do travel
Saturday 26th of October 2013
I, too, have a Christmas pudding recipe handed down through my Mum's family. The first time I hosted Christmas for our extended family I asked my Mum for the recipe and duly made it. But I then realised that my Mum really wanted to be the Christmas pudding maker so I've left it to her ever since. She makes enough for all of us and it's always delicious.
Marianne Whooley
Sunday 27th of October 2013
That's really nice that mum still wants to do the pudding, I am surrounded by great cooks in my family too hence why it's taken me years to finally try myself - I guess we'll be eating a lot of cake this year