We have a pannettone for cake after I realised no-one was eating traditional cake. For pudding, I've either bought individual luxury ones from M&S so everyone can have their favourite version, or made something totally different, like sticky toffee pud or a choc & cherry torte thing Christmas for me starts in about July, when I get all my recipe books out, my big Christmas planner and a bottle of good wine. Open wine, open planner, flick through recipes, so by the end of the weekend everything's planned, meals and shopping lists. I sometimes put a Christmas CD on in the background. This all dates from the times when we were strapped for cash and needed to spread the costs out a bit (still do TBH) and when my parents used to visit on alternate years. I liked to make sure they didn't get the same style dishes each time they came down, so wrote the recipes in a menu style in a big notebook. At the back of the book I've got lots of recipes I use regularly so I don't have to seach through hundreds of magazines to find favourites.When we had our really big freezer, I would freeze up as many dishes as I could so there was more time for drinking over Christmas, but this year I'll be making from fresh.Just checked, I started keeping the book in 1995.

usually christmas pudding - home made to a recipe that I inheritted, dates from the 1900s, has rather a lot of alcohol in it. They get made in bacthes about once every 5 years. Byt the end they have matured something marvellous. Flaming brandy on the top, just in case there isn't enough booze on the plate!I love cooking christmas dinner, certainly don't find it stressful - my idea of fun is to have a house full and feed them! It allows me to exercise my organised self and strutt around self-importantly. Bliss!! Anyway, we've had a yule log for dessert before now, (basically swiss roll with a holly sprig on top!) or ice cream.