Recipe: Fizzy amaretto sours

Prosecco lends festive sparkle to this almondy tipple

Makes 1

2 shots amaretto
1 shot lemon juice
½ shot sugar syrup (see below)
Prosecco
Sliced lemon and cocktail cherries, to serve

1. To make sugar syrup, combine equal volumes of water and sugar (a cup of each, say) in a saucepan, heat gently till the sugar dissolves, leave to cool and store in a bottle or jar.

2. Pile a glass with ice and then pour in the amaretto, lemon juice and syrup before topping with the prosecco. Mix carefully with a spoon and serve with a slice of lemon and a cherry.

Merry Midwinter from The Simple Things!

This cocktail recipe was first published in December 2016. Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

More from our December issue…

More tipples to tickle your fancy…

My simple thing: Christmas lights

Sitting with just the Christmas tree lights on - @katecpettifer's simple thing

Usually just before bed, I’ll take a moment to turn off the living room lights so that only the Christmas tree remains lit. Savouring the glow of multicoloured bulbs, reflected in nearby baubles, transports me back to childhood when I did exactly the same thing. A welcome moment of calm that’s still magical.

This was first published in our December issue 2014. Please share your festive simple thing with us below and find lots more quiet moments of magic in our current December issue on sale in the shops now or click the clicky link below…. Merry Christmas!

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

Recipe: Yule log

Roll up, roll up – for our festive yule log! 

This bake is just a little bit fancy but when the making of it is as leisurely and lovely as the eating of it, it’s all worth it. This is no chuck-it-in-the-oven crowd pleaser so embrace the opportunity that brings: take an afternoon off work when the house is quiet and dedicate it to some mindful baking to share with friends and family later on.

The filling

250ml whole milk
1 vanilla pod
3 medium egg yolks
60g caster sugar
25g plain flour
100g soft butter, cut into pieces 
50g hazelnuts in their skins

1. Pour milk into a heavy-based pan. Split the vanilla pod, scrape seeds into the milk, along with split pods. 2. Whisk egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until pale and creamy. Add the flour and mix until smooth. Put the pan of milk over medium heat, bring to just under the boil, take off the heat and slowly pour half of it into the egg, sugar and flour mixture, whisking well as you do so. Add the remaining milk and whisk in well, then pour mixture back into pan.
3. Bring to the boil, whisking continuously, then keep boiling and whisking for one minute, take off the heat and pour into a clean bowl.
4. Scoop out the halves of vanilla pod. Cover the surface of the bowl with greaseproof paper straight away to prevent skin forming. Cool in fridge. Once cool, remove from fridge and whisk to the consistency of a light mayonnaise. Add butter, whisking in a little at at time until the cream is smooth and quite white.
5. Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F. Spread the hazelnuts out over a baking tray and toast for 15–20 mins, shaking occasionally for even cooking. Leave to cool, then grind to a paste using a coffee grinder or pestle and mortar. Mix this into the cream and set aside.

The sponge

125g caster sugar
4 medium eggs
1 tbsp cocoa powder
125g plain flour
25g butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
You will need:
Two 35cm x 27cm x 2cm baking trays, greased and lined

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/350F. Whisk sugar and eggs in a bowl over a pan of barely simmering water (don’t let base of bowl touch the water) for 3-4 mins until foamy and tripled in volume.
2. Transfer to a food mixer with whisk attachment or use a handheld one and whisk at high speed for 4–5 mins until mixture has cooled and clings easily to the whisk, leaving ribbon trails when you lift it.
3. Sieve cocoa into flour and gently fold in to the mixture a little at a time with a metal spoon. Do the same with the melted butter.
4. With a spoon, turn the mixture into trays and tilt so it spreads into the corners. Bake for 12–15 mins until golden and the centre is springy. Turn out onto cooling rack.

And the rest...

100g sugar
2 tbsp kirsch
Icing sugar, for dusting
500g good natural marzipan 
400g good quality dark chocolate (70%), broken into pieces
Dark chocolate curls or ‘pencils’, cocoa powder, and edible gold leaf (optional), for decoration

1. Start by making a kirsch syrup. Put the sugar in a pan with 200ml water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the sugar has dissolved and you have a colourless syrup. Take off the heat, stir in the kirsch, and leave to cool.
2. Have ready a large sheet of baking paper. Turn the chocolate sponge onto it so that the top is downwards. Brush with two-thirds of the syrup, then spread hazelnut cream filling on top. Now roll up like a Swiss roll. Lift up the baking paper
and as the sponge starts to roll, tuck it under with your fingertips, then continue to lift the paper and it will continue to roll.
3. Lightly dust your work surface with icing sugar and roll out the marzipan to 2mm thick. Cut out a rectangle just large enough to wrap the log in and set aside trimmings. 
4. Brush the log with the remaining syrup, then lay on top of marzipan, off centre, seam upwards. Bring the marzipan over the top and press down lightly, so that it fits snugly. Tuck marzipan under the log and fold in the ends.
5. Mould marzipan trimmings into balls, then roll into ‘sausages’ to snake along the top of the log, pressing down lightly so they stick. 
6. Have ready a rack over a tray or sheet of baking paper. Using a palette knife or fish slice under each end of the log, lift it onto the rack. Leave these in position so you can easily lift the log up again.
7. Put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl over a pan of barely simmering water – make sure the water comes close to the bottom of the bowl but doesn’t actually touch it. Keep the heat very low so that you don’t get steam in the bowl. Keep stirring all the time and let the chocolate melt slowly, then remove bowl from heat. A little at a time, with the help of a spoon, pour the chocolate over the log until it is covered.
8. As it begins to cool and set a little, use the tip of a spoon or fork to make rough bark-like marks in the chocolate. When the coating is set enough to stay put, lift the log off the rack and onto a board or plate. Decorate with cocoa, chocolate and gold leaf, if you like. Leave for 3–4 hrs at room temperature, then put in the fridge, if necessary, in a box to keep its shine.

Taken from Patisserie Maison by Richard Bertinet (Ebury Press, £20)

This was first published in our December 2014 issue. Our new December issue is out now. If you enjoyed this recipe, be sure not to miss our feature, For the Love of Baking in there. It has recipes, by Rachel de Thample, for Austrian Linzer biscuits, Icelandic Klejner, mulled wine brownies and more. The perfect way to occupy yourself on a quiet, calm day at home during Advent.

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

Make: Ornament cards

During the build-up to Christmas, spare a thought for the postie with his bag full of cards. The British send more per person than any other country, so it’s not surprising that we were the originators of the first commercial Christmas card, in 1843. We have a fine tradition of making cards, too – even Queen Victoria had her kids at it.

And the Queen was spot on: making your own cards is a satisfyingly easy way to add personality and sparkle (depending on how liberal you are with the glitter) to your Christmas. It will even save you some money, too. These clever cards can be adjusted to size to allow for any desired festive greeting, whether it’s a to- the-point ‘Merry Christmas’ or a lengthier salutation. They can also double as gift tags or ornaments.

You will need:
Colourful card
9–10cm bowl or other circular shape to use as a template
Pencil
Washi tape (Japanese masking tape: there’s a colourful selection available from www.papermash.co.uk)
Glitter tape
Scissors
Hole punch
Ribbon, twine or string
Glue (optional)

Step one

Fold a piece of card in half. Trace around the bowl carefully, leaving approximately 1.25cm of space by the fold. Apply a strip of metallic washi tape to fill the space between the fold and the top of the circle shape.

STEP TWO

Cut out your ornament shape, keeping inside the pencil outline all the way round – you don’t want any lines to be visible on your finished card. Cut a straight line down each side of the metallic tape to shape the top of the ornament.

STEP THREE

Decorate the card with strips of glitter and washi tape. To make small glitter dots, use a hole punch. You can decorate both sides of the card if you like.

STEP FOUR

To create a slightly different look, get inspired by the swirls of peppermint lollipops. Mark the centre on your circle, then position triangular-shaped strips of glitter tape so that the points meet in the middle. Trim tape ends.

STEP FIVE

Open up the card and punch a small hole in the centre of the tab. Cut a piece of twine or ribbon approximately 25cm long. Fold the length in half, tie the loose ends together, then feed the looped end through the hole at the fold of the card. The knotted end will be hidden neatly inside the card when it’s closed.

STEP SIX

To make them into ornaments, decorate both sides, add the string, then dab a bit of glue in the centre to fix the two sides together. Allow to dry before hanging on your tree.

Make it mini

Handmade gift tags are a sweet finishing touch. Punch or cut circles out of card before decorating them with glitter tape.

This craft idea was first published in our December 2014 issue. MARISA EDGHILL is a Canadian craft designer and lover of pretty tapes. Her book Washi Style: Make It With Paper Tape (Search Press) is available in bookshops and online. Marisa can be found blogging at www.omiyageblogs.ca and shares crafty inspiration on Instagram @omiyage_ca.

Get hold of your copy of this month's The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe

From our December issue…

More things to make…

Recipe: Edible baubles

Giving the odd couples on Strictly Come Dancing’s Christmas special a run for their money is this recipe’s unlikely pairing: fruit cakes and Polo mints. 

These mini mincemeat-laced sponges are marzipaned and iced to rival the classiest of tree decorations. But will they hang? The real question is whether anything this tasty will even make it onto the tree... 

Edible baubles

Makes 24

For the fairy cakes:

140g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp salt
175g unsalted butter, soft, diced
175g muscavado sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
60g ground almonds
150g mincemeat

To ice and decorate: 

4 tbsp apricot jam
500g marzipan
Icing sugar, to dust
1 tbsp sherry or cooled, boiled water
750g white sugarpaste
Packet of Polo mints
60g bag white royal icing, no.1 nozzle
30-50g red sugarpaste
60g bag red royal icing, no.1 nozzle

You will need:

24 red paper cases
6.5cm round cutter
7cm round cutter
Selection of tiny cutters
Lengths of 5mm-wide ribbon

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan 160C/ 350F. Line two fairy cake tins with paper cases. Sift first 5 ingredients into a bowl; add butter, sugar, eggs and nuts. Beat with an electric whisk. Fold in mincemeat. Divide batter between cases and bake for 15–18 mins, or until springy. Leave cakes tins for 2 mins, then cool on a rack. 
2. Warm the jam slightly, push it through a sieve, then brush it lightly over each cake. 
3. Roll marzipan out to 4–5mm thick on a worktop dusted with icing sugar. Using the smaller cutter, stamp out discs of marzipan to top each cake. Brush lightly with sherry or water. Use larger cutter to create white sugarpaste discs (the same size as the top of the cases) and smooth over the cake edges. Press a mint into each to make a ring, attaching with royal icing if needed. Leave overnight.
4. To decorate, roll out to 2–3mm thick on a board dusted with icing sugar. To make buttons, cut out tiny rounds, indent the edge with a smaller cutter and make two holes with a cocktail stick. Attach all the sugarpaste decorations with royal icing. Pipe details with the white and red royal icing. Thread the mints with ribbon.

Tip: Sugarpaste decorations can be made in advance and stored in a box (not in an airtight container or the fridge).

RECIPE AND IMAGE TAKEN FROM SEASONAL BAKING BY FIONA CAIRNS (WEIDENFELD & NICOLSON, £25). PHOTOGRAPHY DAN JONES

December's The Simple Things is on sale. Buy, download or subscribe now.

Seasonal mindfulness tips

Cabin fever? A walk isn’t the only way to keep your feet on the ground this season

Pause every now and then and notice the sounds and smells of the season. If you’re cooking, note the flavours and smells of the food. If you're lighting a fire, listen to the crackle of the logs. The essential jobs will feel less like chores if you’re engaged with what you’re doing.

Breathe before you speak. If you feel an argument brewing, inhale to the count of seven and exhale to the count of 11. This powerful pause gives you chance to realise that you have more than one choice or reaction and enough time to think, ‘I’d better not say that.’ 

Remember there’s not much you can do to change how others act or react but you can change your own responses. Pay attention to your triggers. The more conscious you are of these and of your feelings, the more emotionally intelligent you are and the better you’ll behave.

Take five minutes to express gratitude. It’s a way of reminding yourself that every day you experience little blessings and it often helps you find solutions and perspective if you’re feeling overwhelmed. Writing it down can help. 

If you didn't have time for presents for everyone, or to see all the people you’d like to, a heartfelt handwritten card will strike a meaningful chord and stop you feeling guilty.

Taken from December's issue of The Simple Things - still available to buy and download. Or subscribe now, and start with the January issue. 

Recipe: Gochujang chicken skewers

Finger food for drinks parties, starters or whenever a yummy nibble might fit the bill.

Makes 20

500g/1lb 2oz chicken thighs, skinless and boneless, cut into 40 pieces
Sesame seeds and thinly sliced spring onions, to garnish

For the marinade:
2 garlic cloves, grated 
Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, grated
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 tbsp clear honey, plus
extra to taste
1 heaped tsp medium-hot Korean Gochujang paste
20 wooden/metal skewers
A baking sheet, greased

1. Combine all the ingredients for the marinade in a large bowl. Add the chicken pieces to the bowl and leave to marinate for no more than 30 mins.
2. Preheat the oven to 190C/Fan 170C/375F.
3. Put two pieces of chicken onto each skewer and lay them on the prepared baking sheet. Cook the chicken for 10–12 mins.
4. While the chicken is cooking, reduce the marinade in a small saucepan on a low-medium heat for about 3 mins, adding a little more honey to taste.
5. When the chicken is cooked, brush or spoon the sauce on top and sprinkle with the sesame seeds and spring onions.

Recipe from Party-Perfect Bites by Milli Taylor. Photography: Helen Cathcart (Ryland, Peters & Small).

More Christmas posts from The Simple Things.

Plenty more festive ideas for gifts, food and fun in December's issue of The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe now. 

Christmas holidays: Kids' activities that help you out

Turn off that TV set...

...and make use of hyperactive kids in the run up to Christmas. Little fingers have many uses.

BAKE MINI CAKES, ginger biscuits or tree decorations or truffles for presents. Decorate and package in a little box, Kilner jar or with cellophane and a piece of ribbon to tie. Great for emergency gifts. 

DESIGN WRAPPING PAPER by taking a sheet of A3 and doodling on it, which you can then photocopy as many times as you want (equally effective in black and white). Other paper ideas are using rolls of black or brown paper and writing or drawing on it with white or coloured pens or using letter stamps to label.

SEW gifts for babies and little ones. Felt finger puppets are easy to make and look cute placed in an egg box. All you need is coloured felt, embroidery thread to sew eyes and pompoms for noses. Also try monster teddies (as mad and misshapen as they like!) or simple drawstring bags.

More Christmas posts from The Simple Things.

Plenty more festive ideas for gifts, food and fun in December's issue of The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe now. 

How to sleep on a sofa

Scene of sleepovers, telly fests and sloth – make sofa-sleeping more comfortable this Christmas 

At some point in all our lives, due to a unfortunate domestic squabble or the arrival of unexpected guests perhaps, we will find ourselves sleeping downstairs on the sofa*. This could mean a night of cramped discomfort and a face pressed against the button-back upholstery. 

Here are a few ways to help avoid potential insomnia:
1. Take as much bedding as possible – preferably a duvet, but a pillow at the very least. Scatter-cushions, a forearm or a bunched-up coat simply won’t do.
2. Remove the back cushions. This creates a surprising amount of room. 3. Lay a sheet on the sofa first, especially if you are on a leather or pleather sofa. Otherwise you will have to be unpeeled in the morning. 
4. Ensure any pets are in another room. There is no room on a sofa for unwanted marauders. 
5. If the TV is nearby, enjoy a spot of supine late-night viewing – one of the very few perks of sofa surfing.

* An average sofa will have been used as a bed for up to 489 visitors in its lifetime.

More Christmas posts from The Simple Things.

Plenty more festive ideas for gifts, food and fun in December's issue of The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe now. 

Recipe: Venetian eggnog

Raise a glass of eggnog, a quintessentially seasonal tipple

Eggnog, or vov, as it’s known in Italy, is a traditional Christmas drink in many parts of the world. The word ‘vov’ comes from the Venetian word for egg. It’s made like other eggnogs with milk or cream, egg yolks, brandy and sugar, but also contains marsala, so it’s a sort of liquid zabaglione.

Venetian eggnog

Makes 1.5 litres
1 vanilla pod
1 litre full fat milk
6 egg yolks
250g granulated sugar 200ml marsala
150ml brandy
2 x 750ml clean, dry bottles and stoppers

1 Slit open the vanilla pod, scrape out the seeds and put the seeds and the pod in a pan with the milk and bring gently to simmering point, whisking from time to time. 
2 Put the egg yolks in a second pan with the sugar and the marsala and beat well. When the vanilla milk is hot but not boiling, stir it into the egg-yolk mixture. 
3 Put the pan on medium heat and warm through gently, whisking all the while. Do not let the mixture boil as it will curdle. The mixture is ready when it starts to thicken. If it shows any sign of curdling or separating, take off the heat and whisk hard. 
4 Strain with a sieve into a pan or measuring jug, add the brandy, leave to cool and bottle using a funnel. Keep for two days before serving, warm or cold. Store in the fridge and shake before pouring. 

Variations: The original vov recipe is made with 90% proof liqueur spirit rather than brandy; if you try this, add another 100g sugar. You can also try a brandy-only version, using the same amount of brandy but omitting the marsala, and topping with grated nutmeg.

Want more? Try our Wassail recipe. Plus, plenty more festive ideas for gifts, food and fun in December's issue of The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe now.

Recipes and images taken from Artisan Drinks by Lindy Wildsmith, photography by Kevin Summers (Jacqui Small, £25) 

Nest: The Christmas rose

Bring a pretty Christmas rose indoors

You can miss the Christmas rose* when it flowers. Its papery blooms appear at exactly the time you stop venturing out: midwinter. Which is a shame as its beauty is just what is needed to dispel gloom. But there is an answer: bring it indoors. A small clump sits happily in a pot and looks especially good when wrapped with twigs and string, as here. Use rich compost such as John Innes No3 and incorporate 25% grit and you’ll get a succession of flowers sure to keep spirits aloft.

*Its genus name Helleborus come from the Greek ‘elein’ which means ‘to injure’ and bora meaning ‘food’. This is a clue to its poisonous nature: do not be tempted to nibble.

Plenty more festive ideas for gifts, food and fun in December's issue of The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe now.

Nest: Christmas style tips from Signe Nordal

Drifts of the white stuff, the smell of cinnamon, a crackling fire, and a pile of beautifully wrapped presents - this Danish family’s Christmas is a yuletide dream come true.

Signe Nordal and her partner Rasmus bought their home in the forest because they fell for its rural location. Now, the light-filled space serves as the ideal backdrop for Signe’s quirky, mismatched style, combining ethnic homeware from her interiors business with Scandinavian design and plenty of colour. Festive cheer comes courtesy of something as simple as bowls of dates clementines and cinnamon sticks.

SIGNE’S CHRISTMAS STYLE

1. Brew a pot of your favourite tea, pour into glass mugs and add rosemary sprigs and a vanilla pod. This will fill the air with a delicious, seasonal scent.

2. Make a beautiful outdoors snow candle holder from layers of hard snowballs. Assemble them in circles and place a chunky candle inside. They look lovely and Christmassy out in the snow with the candles flickering inside.

3. Make one big Christmas decoration for the centre of the table. This year I’m making mine in a large rustic wooden bowl, lined with moss, with a large candle in the centre and surrounded by decorations made by the children.

4. Don’t forget to serve nuts. In Denmark, like in Britain, we fill bowls with different types of nuts to crack and eat them with mandarin oranges and fresh dates.

5. Make a snowy landscape. If the snow doesn’t make an appearance, it will help to compensate. This is fun for the children: Bjork made ours from a metal tray and added cotton wool and spruce twigs for the elves to play in.

6. Decorate the table with multiples: I like to have a forest of matching candlesticks, for example, and a collection of glass fruit bowls of different heights filled with treats always looks pretty.

Signe Nordal runs the family business, Nordal, with her sister Mads Nordal Petersen. The shop sells a range of homeware from the Far East.

Plenty more festive ideas for gifts, food and fun in December's issue of The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe now.

Recipe: Wassail - Christmas spiced ale

Wassail, from Middle English wæs hæl, means ‘good health’. So, here’s a hearty festive drink to welcome in the season. 

If you don’t have a punchbowl and ladle, improvise with the largest vessel you can find and, if it’s less than elegant, simply wrap it in a white linen cloth or pretty tablecloth, decorate it with ivy and ribbons and serve the ale with a small jug. This is a dry drink that works well with Guinness or stout as well as ale.

Serves 8–12
Handful of sultanas
150ml marsala, sherry, brandy or rum
100ml ginger cordial or 125g caster sugar
Pinch of grated nutmeg, ginger and cinnamon
2 litres ale, porter, stout or other dark ale
Ice, optional
Punchbowl and cups or glasses

1 Put the sultanas in the punchbowl, add the measured marsala (or alternative), plus the cordial or sugar, and the spices. Leave to macerate.
2 When your guests arrive, add ice (if preferred) and the ale. Stir and serve in the cups.

Plenty more festive ideas for gifts, food and fun in December's issue of The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe now.

Recipes and images taken from Artisan Drinks by Lindy Wildsmith, photography by Kevin Summers (Jacqui Small, £25) 

Simple style: Pyjamas

No need to dress up - we’ve got our pyjamas on.

Unlike the nightie, which rucks up around your waist, pyjamas stay put. They ensure that you can face any disruption: whether it’s a midnight trundle to the fridge, a bleary stumble to a child’s bedroom, or a fire alarm. In your jimjams, you will be ready for anything: neither a chance encounter with an elderly relative or a hose-wielding fireman will faze you. Pyjamas are your friend.

Turn to page 22 of December’s The Simple Things for our PJ picks - one classic and two great updates. Buy, download or subscribe now. 

After more winter warmth and winceyette? Try these bedtime accessories.

Left to right:

1. Patagonia slippers, £69, Plumo

2. Aurela hottie cover, £25, Toast

3. Fireside robe, £118, Anthropologie

Want more lounging inspiration?

More Simple style posts

Recipe: Tangerine and nutmeg hot chocolate

Fireside reads

Give: Pots of joy

Our pick of homemade gifts for gardeners

1. Plant bulbs into pretty vintage ‘tea cup’ planters. Collect single teacups, sugar bowls or small milk jugs from charity shops or car boot sales. Use a ceramic tile bit and carefully drill a hole in the base. Add a thin layer of gravel then a layer of compost. Varieties to go for: miniature daffodils – ‘Tete a Tete’, ‘Minnow’ and ‘Rip Van Winkle’; violets – Viola odorata types which are hardy and long-flowering; grape hyacinth – muscari are delicate little blooms with a wonderful fragrance.

2. Herbs: you can’t go wrong giving pots of rosemary, thyme, basil and parsley as they can be used straight away and then planted out in garden in spring.

3. For that rare winter thing – a hit of floral scent – try forcing hyacinth bulbs or buy them forced. They put on a terrific show and smell divine. 

4. Beautiful and rose-like, pot up pretty Hellebores niger (Christmas rose) in an old tin planter to make a striking display that can be planted outdoors once it’s over to flower again the following winter.

Plenty more festive ideas for gifts, food and fun in December's issue of The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe now. 

Photograph: Alice Hendy Photography

Passing on traditions: The emergency present drawer

Kate Pettier explains the art of the emergency present drawer.

Tag-along cousins, pop-up neighbours – surprise guests over the holiday season are as inevitable as leftovers on Boxing Day. And leftovers, in the gift department, are exactly what you need. Not having bought someone a gift is one of those faux-pas that’s hard to laugh off. Emergency present drawer to the rescue!

In essence, it’s a stash of borderline impersonal gifts ready for dispatch. My mum’s was kept in a box in the under-stairs cupboard: gift-wrapped Elizabeth Shaw Mint Crisps, Yardley powder puffs and multipack men’s hankies were its staples. As a child, how I hoped there’d be unclaimed Orange Matchmakers...

The gifts may have changed, but for my own spare-present haul, I stick to Mum’s principle that it’s the thought that counts. Emergency gifts are less a display of wealth, more a social polyfilla with which we smooth over the awkwardness of someone having been overlooked by Santa. Notelets, scented candles, V&A hankies, truffles and gift-set toiletries wait in the wings to be given away at the last minute. And of course, ever the optimist, I leave the Orange Matchmakers till last.

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT:

1. Soy scented candles from Anthropologie, £14
2. Liberty print handkerchiefs, £5.95
3. Belleville Bakery body wash and body Lotion, & Other Stories, £14
4. Matchmakers, widely available, around £2.50
5. Letterpress pencil correspondence cards, Meticulous Ink, £20
6. Black Forest gateau truffles, Prestat, £12

Do you have an emergency present drawer? Leave your top tips for emergency gift ideas on our Facebook or Twitter.

And there are plenty more festive ideas for gifts, food and fun in December's issue of The Simple Things - buy, download or subscribe now. 

The Collector: Snow globes

Vintage cartographer Beth Lennon has a love for all things retro that’s reflected in her collection of snow globes - not that she’s obsessive, she says…

If you’re alone in a room with a snow globe, you have to pick it up. “Oh yeah, you’re not gonna let it sit there,” agrees Beth Lennon. “You have to engage.” When you are a woman with approximately 100 snow globes to your name, that’s quite the commitment.

Of all childhood toys, arguably there is nothing as magnetically compelling as a snow globe. What’s not to captivate? Generally accustomed to following orders every waking minute, there you stand, playing god. You have a) the whole world in your hands, and b) complete control over the weather. (Assuming, of course, you want to let it snow, but at this time of year, why wish for anything else?)

Turn to page 111 of December’s The Simple Things for the full interview with Beth. Buy, download or subscribe now.

Want to build up your own collection? Scour junk shops or flea markets for vintage finds, or try online at eBay or Etsy. Want a contemporary collection? Here’s our selection of the best miniature worlds of fun.

Clockwise from top left:

1. Hang this deer snow globe from your tree. £4, Paperchase.
2. Try your hand at a festive paper cut with a snow globe template. £5.50, Pretty Paper Petal.
3. All is calm... This wintry scene is the perfect table decoration. £15, John Lewis.
4. Happy snowmen adorn these gift tags. £2.59, Charonel Designs.
5. Make your own with this snow globe kit. £24.95, Not on the High Street.
6. Arctic owls take shelter in the forest in this tree decoration. £12, Anthropologie.

Escape: Go foraging PLUS natural festive decoration/gift ideas

Carols and hymns are wound through with references to holly and ivy, and the tradition of collecting these intensely green reminders that life does continue year round stretches way back to pre-Christian times. A foraging walk requires a sturdy bag and secateurs and will make decorating your home or creating a wreath an easy job.

Both holly and ivy are easy to find growing wild in Britain – ivy is an important autumn source of pollen for bees and other pollinators, while holly berries, although toxic to humans, are enjoyed by birds and other wildlife. You’ll need to track down a cluster of holly bushes, since only the female produces berries, but both sexes need to be nearby!

Mistletoe also has its parasitic roots in pre-Christian times, but these days gathering some for a cheeky doorway ornament doesn’t require the use of a golden sickle on the sixth day of the moon’s cycle, just good local air quality and a keen eye. Though as the orchards in which it is most often found are now rare and localised you are more likely to find it at a market.

Cone and fir garland

When you’re out on a woodland walk keep your eyes peeled for cones, berries, twigs and leaves to make into homemade decorations. You don’t have to spend a fortune on decorations, there are plenty of things to forage for free that add seasonal sparkle. No need to stick to a natural, Shaker-style Christmas either – use paint, glitter and colourful ribbon to help them work with your chosen colour scheme. It’s a good idea to keep a plastic bag in your pocket so you’re always ready to collect mother nature’s winter bounty.

• Collect 20 cones and several fir tree twigs, needles still attached. Cut the twigs into 5cm lengths and strip needles from one end, exposing about 1cm of bare stem.

• Cut a 1m length of garden string (or ribbon, or twine).

• To make the garland, simply alternate between cones and fir sprigs, tying them onto the string at 2cm intervals. Leave enough string at either end to attach to the tree, mantelpiece or spot of your choice.

A foraged hamper

Been foraging all year to make delicious goodies? Use these to make a foraged hamper of treats - it's a thoughtful, handmade gift idea. 

Follow the instructions over on Wolves in London blog where you'll find recipes, ideas and inspiration for homegrown, foraged and seasonal food, perfect for a foraged Christmas hamper.

Turn to page 66 of December's The Simple Things for more on the walks that make Christmas. Buy, download or subscribe now.

Recipe: Stollen with dark rum and lemon marzipan

Stollen is the German Christmas cake. Dip it in coffee or eat with a piece of Hafod cheese.

The original German Christmas cake was from Dresden. It was a moist heavy bread filled with fruit, and the first recorded mention of it was in 1474. This official stollen is produced by only 150 bakers in the city, is still sold at the local Christmas market and has a special seal. All very interesting, but we bet it doesn’t taste any better than this one.

Stollen with dark rum and lemon marzipan

50g dark rum
75g raisins
75g sour cherries or cranberries 

Vanilla butter:

100g butter
Seeds of 1 vanilla pod (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)

Marzipan (or buy ready-made): 

100g ground almonds
35g icing sugar
10ml lemon juice
15ml dark rum
Seeds of 1 vanilla pod (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
1 large egg

Cake:

50g milk (room temperature)
250g strong white flour
5g quick yeast (7g fresh yeast)
25g caster sugar
5g fine sea salt
2 large eggs (room temperature) 
Chopped zest of 2 oranges and
2 lemons
5g ground spice – 50/50 cardamom/ cinnamon
100g butter, diced
Icing sugar to finish

1. Warm the rum and mix it with the dried fruit, cover and leave at room temp for 24 hours. To make vanilla butter, melt 100g butter and sprinkle with vanilla pod seeds; leave to infuse. 
2. The next day, make marzipan. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl, cover tightly and place in the fridge.
3. Warm the milk, add 25g of the flour and all the yeast. Mix well with fingers and cover tightly. Leave for 45 mins.
4. Add the rest of the flour, sugar, salt and eggs and mix it with the foaming yeast. When all flour is incorporated, turn dough onto the table and knead for 4 mins, cover tightly and rest for 30 mins.
5. Uncover dough and press out into an oblong. Put zest and spice on top of the dough, along with the butter. With your fingers, massage it all together. It’s very loose at this stage – almost a batter. Massage until the dough becomes a consistent colour. Scrape together into a ball, cover well and leave to rest for 30 mins. Use a very small amount of flour on your hands and work surface while shaping if you need to.
6. Add soaked fruit and massage into dough to combine. Sprinkle some flour on the table, scrape up dough, place on the flour and top with another sprinkling of flour. Stretch dough to create four corners and fold them in on themselves. 7 Turn dough over, bottom side up, shape into a ball and put back in the bowl. Cover tightly and leave for 2.5 hours.
8. Scrape dough out onto a well floured surface. Halve dough and gently press down to create 2 oblongs, arranged with one of the longer sides towards you.
9. Divide marzipan into 2 and roll each half into a sausage shape. Place each in the middle of a dough oblong, leaving a 2cm gap at either end. Fold the side nearest you over the top of the marzipan and tuck in on the far side. Then fold the side farthest away over the top of the marzipan and gently press the seam in. Make sure the seam is totally sealed by pinching with your fingers if necessary. 
10. Lift stollen carefully onto a baking tray covered with baking parchment. Bend it slightly so you’re left with a semi circular shape. Leave for 90 mins.
11. Preheat oven to 200C/Fan 180C/400F. Bake stollen for 25–28 mins, then remove from oven and leave to cool on tray for 30 mins.
12. Melt vanilla butter and pour evenly over the stollen. This will help to lock the moisture in when it cools down. Leave the stollen on the tray for 1 hour.
13. Cover stollen all over with a thick layer of icing sugar. Ideally place the stollen in a tin and leave until the next day to eat so the flavour can develop.

The stollen should last two weeks kept in a tin.

Turn to page 24 of December's The Simple Things for our baker, Alex Gooch's other Christmas recipes, including potato and onion bread with pickled chilli and Hafod cheese, and toasted hazelnut, apple and prune loaf. 

Buy, download or subscribe now.