An ex- colleague asked me to do a Christmas cake this year. The only condition is that it has to show the two lovely granddaughters. I thought a Christmas cake with a forest theme will be very appropriate for someone who loves the countryside. I added and moulded some cute animals – reindeer peeping among the trees, a little mouse, a fox and lastly a racoon.

Ever since I bought Alan Dunn’s Christmas Cake book, I felt in love with all his flowers, especially the white poinsettia. Therefore I adorned the cake with white poinsettia, yellow winter jasmine and scarlet plume – all from his book.

I piped the words ’ Merry Christmas’ and painted them.