Crumbs to Crunch

One of my favourite parts of Christmas is baking while singing along to Christmas songs. Get your apron on and spoil your loved ones with homemade presents this Christmas! Baking Everyone loves receiving cakes and biscuits. Why not make a your loved one's favourite cake and wrap it beautifully? Gingerbread men are a classic gift and a great way to get children baking. If you're feeling adventurous, try former Great British Bake Off winner, Frances Quinn's adorable gingerbread robins . For bite-sized treats, try making these chocolate and ginger cookie cup cheesecakes . Keep up with the Scandi trend by making these Swedish saffron lucia buns . Drinks When it's cold outside, there is nothing better than a warm brew. Settle down with the ultimate hot chocolate and a good book.  For arts and crafts fans, make a festive Christmas tree table decoration made out of teabags! Chocolate In my house, Christmas would not be Christmas with...

Tis the season of Christmas Fairs and the cake stall is always the most popular. I recently volunteered to sell baked goods at my local fair so I thought I would share my tips to make your cake sale the best ever! Advertise your event - you have awesome baking skills so you need to let the world know! Get your arty friends to make posters. If you are doing a cake sale for a well known charity, they often have ready to print posters and other resources on their websites such as AmnesTea for Amnesty International or Macmillan's Coffee Morning. Variety is the spice of life - have a good selection of cakes and biscuits to cater for all appetites and tastes. Ask your friends to pitch in so you have a good spread without the stress of baking for a hundred people! Keep it simple - if you are providing lots of cakes, you can;t spend hours perfecting your showstopper like you're in the final of The Great British Bake Off. Simple home baking is best.  Batch baking ...

Nothing gets me more in the festive mood than A Christmas Carol. For all the Scrooges out there, they must visit Chester at Christmas . Gone is the bah humbug mentality when you enter the magnificent Chester Cathedral . The cloisters are lined with trees with twinkling lights, all decorated by different businesses and members of the community.  This year, the cathedral is displaying a series of tableaux depicting  A Christmas Carol . The models are seriously impressive, particularly the gigantic Ghost of Christmas Present.  The festivities continue in the gorgeous café, located in a 13th century monks' dining hall. I feasted on the Liverpool cake which was inspired by the exotic ingredients newly available in the 19th centuiry from Liverpool's trade links, such as demarara sugar from Guyana, spices from the Middle East and sultanas from Turkey. This cake tasted a lot like carrot cake as it was moist and had lots of lovely spices. Perfect for Christmas! ...

Have you ever wanted to experience a scene from a film? I love the moment in Tangled when Rapunzel arrives in the kingdom, dances to folk music and lights a lantern.   My dream came true yesterday in Lannion. I heard that Santa was in town and as I am full of Christmas cheer, I went to find him. I did not realise that Santa's possy would be a Breton bagpipe marching band!  To celebrate Christmas, the whole town was given a lantern and a free cup of mulled wine or hot chocolate. Fuelled with hot beverages and festive cheer, we marched through the medieval streets, clutching our lanterns and following the sound of the bagpipes. It felt so special to be part of a tradition so different from my own.  The festivities did not end there. The next morning, I got up bright and early to watch the Trail Urban - a 5km fun run. I loved seeing so many runners dressed as Father Christmas. They had to run up some very steep steps which lead to a church o...