Christmas Cake, ingredients round the world

A relatively new tradition in our household is baking and decorating a Christmas Cake. 

My tried and tested easy recipe is from a paperback Mary Berry Cook Book, which now falls open at the Christmas Cake page. The fruit is soaking at the moment. I have left it a little longer than usual. The recipe suggests 3 days, and I think it must be about 10 days now. I just keep stirring it every few days and add a little more alcohol the longer it waits.

To tie in with the Sanctuary First theme Christmas Round the World James suggested that I look at where the ingredients have travelled from. I have never thought to check that before and it has been interesting. 

So far there is Mixed Fruit from more than one country packaged in Turkey, Raisins from Turkey, Currants from Greece, Glacé cherries from Italy and Brandy from France. The furthest travelled ingredient which is still to be added is sugar from Mauritius. Everything else is from or produced in the UK. It might be an idea to do the same when you are cooking or baking this year - find out where your ingredients come from and see how our food connects us round the world. You could say a quick prayer for each country that you come across.

I am planning to bake the cake this weekend and need to set aside 3¼ hours for that.

My daughter Hope takes on the task of decorating the cake every year. A couple of days before Christmas we cover the cake in marzipan and icing, let it dry, then Hope sits down with ‘ready to roll’ coloured icing, icing pens and a selection of sweets. She comes up with a new idea every year and last year liked the Snowman character she made so much that she made a second one from polymer clay which she could keep all year.

We have really taken to this new tradition. The cake is easy to make and not only does it look good but it tastes good too. Our extended family are always happy to share and take some home. 

I’m sure there are many other people around the world who have a tradition of baking their own Christmas cake (although they will probably have baked this year's cake by now). I wonder if like us they have checked where the ingredients travelled from and thought wow that's come all the way from the UK.

Vera Aitken