Candied Peel

I found this tucked into my mother’s recipe book and decided it was perfect for Christmas. It isn't difficult to make and is worth trying, if only for the wonderful citron smell that will fill your kitchen.

If you squeeze your own orange juice, then you’ll regularly have a pile of squeezed-out orange skins -this is the perfect alternative to the compost heap. Once you’ve made your candied peel, you can add it to your Christmas cake or use it in cookies or breads. Just chop it up small and you’re good to go.

6 citrus fruits – oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit

300ml cold water

250g caster sugar (plus 100g extra for dusting)

Prepare the fruit

Wash and scrub your chosen fruit to remove any dirt.

Remove the peel - the easiest way to do this is to score the skins from top to bottom until you reach the flesh. About 6-8 strips. Then pull off the skins and put into a saucepan.

Cover the peel with cold water and bring to a simmer – about 5 minutes. Strain and repeat twice more to remove any bitterness. Then put the peel back into the saucepan, cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer until soft – about 30-40 minutes.

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When the time is up, drain and reserve about 300ml of the water. Allow the skins to cool slightly before removing any excess pith - I used a teaspoon for this, scraping it carefully along the inside of each piece – then, slice the peel into strips about 5mm thickness.

Put your reserved water into a clean saucepan with the caster sugar and bring to a simmer over a low heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and then bring to the boil. Add the strips of peel. Simmer for about 20-30 minutes until the liquid is syrupy and most of it has absorbed into the peel. Keep an eye on it. Drain off any remaining liquid and allow the peel to cool slightly.

Put some caster sugar onto a flat tray or into a shallow bowl and put the sliced peel into the sugar, a small amount at a time. I used tongs for this. Toss to coat with sugar and place on a wire rack to dry – this will take 1-2 days so put it out of temptations way! When it's dry, store in an airtight container - it will keep for about a month. You can also freeze it.

If you want to make an indulgent treat for Christmas or a gourmet gift for a friend, dip half of each slice of peel in dark chocolate.

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Chocolate oat cookies

A fruity oat cookie which is easy to make and loved by all - they don't last long in our house. At Christmas time, I make them with dried cranberries and white chocolate chips and gift them to friends and family. As an alternative, you can use raisins or dried apricots or leave the fruit out completely.

140g plain flour

½tsp baking powder

½tsp salt

75g oats

125g butter, softened

75g dark brown sugar

100g caster sugar

1 egg, beaten

½tsp vanilla extract

100g dark or white chocolate chips

100g raisins, dried apricots or dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 180ºC.

Line 2 baking sheets with greaseproof paper.

Measure out the flour, baking powder, salt and oats. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugars together, beat in the egg and vanilla extract and then add the flour mixture, mixing well.

Stir in the dried fruit and chocolate chips and put the bowl into the fridge for about 20 minutes. This will allow the mixture to firm up and make the next bit less messy.

Take the bowl out of the fridge and using the palm of your hands, roll teaspoons of the dough into a ball. Place onto the baking sheet, press down lightly with a fork and pop them into the oven for about 10 minutes. When they're lightly browned, take them out and leave on the trays for about 5 minutes before putting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

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Christmas mincemeat

Here’s a recipe for old fashioned mincemeat (essential for your mince pies) which I discovered in my mother’s book. It includes carrots - a sign of the times perhaps - which do give it a certain sweetness but if you’re at all worried, fresh cranberries are a good alternative (if you can get them early enough).

Mincemeat is very easy to make (though I’m not sure my mother ever did!) and simply involves putting all the ingredients into a bowl to let it infuse for a couple of days. Then it goes into a low oven for a few hours, before allowing it to cool and adding the brandy. I’ve halved the recipe and adapted the spices slightly.

225g cooking apples - peeled, cored and grated

110g carrots - peeled and grated

225g sultanas

225g raisins

225g currants

225g soft brown sugar

225g shredded suet

110g candied peel

3 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp allspice

1 tsp nutmeg

zest and juice of 1 orange

zest and juice of 1 lemon

4 tablespoons of brandy

Put all the ingredients, except for the brandy, into a large ceramic bowl, give it a good stir and cover with a clean tea towel.

Leave in a cool place for a couple of days, stirring occasionally.

When you're ready to cook it, preheat the oven to 120ºC, cover the bowl with tin foil and place in the oven for 4 hours.

... and enjoy the smell of Christmas in the kitchen!

When the time is up, remove the bowl from the oven and allow to cool completely. Give it a stir every now and then so the melted suet coats all the fruits and when completely cool, stir in the brandy. Pack it into your sterilised jars and label. This amount of mincemeat makes 4-5 jars which will keep for up to a year.

For information on how to sterilise the jars, read my post on 'all you need to know about making jam'.

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If you don’t have the time to make your own mincemeat, a jar of store-bought mincemeat can be enhanced with the addition of grated apple, lemon and orange zest and, of course, brandy.