Countdown….

Having prepared for a chat with our local radio host on Suffolk Sounds about preparations for the festive season, I thought I ought to set an example and do something! Usually I wait for half term but this year I’ve been amazed at all the Christmas decorations already in the shops which has spurred me on. So this afternoon I’ve made a double batch of Mincemeat ready for making Mince Pies in a couple of weeks time. I’ll freeze them, then thaw them when needed and cook them so they are as fresh as can be. There’s an enormous difference between commercial Mincemeat and the homemade variety. It has a much better flavour, in my opinion, as I vary the fruit leaving out currants and using cranberries instead with apricots too. Several friends have been getting ready to make their Christmas cakes – soaking the fruit in alcohol for several days before baking the cake, then “feeding” it over the next weeks. That’s as much as we can do at the moment, but planning and shopping ahead will spread the cost as there will be plenty on our shopping lists as the weeks pass by!