Spare yourself the shopping trip. Who doesn’t love a gift made with love?

Get the party started with our boozy desserts

Makes nine mince pies or one large wreath ...

Ingredients (Serves 8) 65 g ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped 65 g ready-to-eat dried figs, chopped 75 g ready-to-eat dried prunes, chopped 65 g Maraschino or glacé cherries, halved Half an orange,

The days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve lend themselves to casual get-togethers centred around sharing plates – plus a showstopping treat or two

Ingredients (Serves 10) ◆ 170g lightly salted dairy or plant butter, softened ◆ 65g caster sugar ◆ 1tsp natural lemon extract ◆ 185g plain flour ◆ 65g cornflour ◆ ½tsp ground nutmeg ◆ Green and chocol