Why not spice your life up with some festive Christmas baking to end year?

Gingerbread is an all round cake but one that is particularly pertinent at this time of year.

A square of gingerbread is delicious with a cup of tea or even hot chocolate but to take it to another level, treat it like a proper pudding. The recipe her is relatively simple – everything is made in a saucepan – so a win win in the washing up department as well. Here I’ve served it with some pears, plums and blackberries cooked in mulled wine. Serve with a generous dollop of cream or ice-cream.

This year, as always, I’ve made my own mincemeat. This isn’t out of any attempt to be a domestic goddess, merely that I abhor the taste of peel that is in the jarred varieties. I use cold grated butter instead of suet making it vegetarian friendly as well. This year Abernethy Butter in Dromara introduced a festive variety to their range which is redolent of rum and spices. I grated a block of this to add to the mincemeat and it’s a delightful addition that will most likely become a tradition. Rather than mince pies the recipe here is for a mincemeat streusel tart. A shortcake base is pressed into a tin and baked like you would for many traybakes. The mincemeat is spread over the top and then a streusel, or crumble, is sprinkled on. It’s baked until golden and bubbling. You could serve this warm with custard or cool it and cut it into squares to enjoy as a tray bake to have with a hot drink.

Mulled wine is a popular drink at this time of year. I’ve never really warmed to it – you need to use a decent bottle of red to make it palatable and if you do it’s a bit of a waste of a decent bottle…but each to their own. For something different I’ve added a hot white chocolate drink with orange and brandy. It’s rich so serve in espresso cups or small heat proof glasses. Sprinkle some freshly grated nutmeg on top, have yourself a slice of mincemeat streusel or gingerbread, put on some Bing Crosby and if that doesn’t get you feel festive, you’re on your own.