Sarah's Slice

I love a trifle and I was going to make a traditional sherry one but decided as I had a bottle of Amaretto still half full I would use this up instead. As you all know I love anything with almonds in it so I thought I would use some fresh raspberries as they pair so well with almonds. It is a traditional trifle with cake, fruit, jelly, custard and topped with a generous layer of fresh cream and toasted almonds. You could use sherry if you prefer and whatever fruit you like de

Someone asked me recently if I had a recipe for Santa’s Whisker’s Shortbread and as I love shortbread and hadn’t heard of it I had to investigate further! They are an American holiday cookie and will definitely be on my baking list at Christmas every year from now on. They are buttery shortbread biscuits with the addition of glacé cherries and pecan nuts, then rolled in coconut which is where the whiskers come from. In my version I have used my usual shortbread recipe, then I

I wanted to make something for the festive season that didn’t need baking and as I love Chocolate Tiffin I decided to give it a festive twist and add mincemeat and cranberries to it. This is something you can make quickly without having to put the oven on. It is made with digestive biscuits and this version is full of festive flavours. It’s perfect with a cuppa when you just want to put your feet up after a busy day or I am sure Santa wouldn’t mind a slice on Christmas Eve. I

I love anything ginger when it’s cold and wet and that’s quite often where I live in the Lake District! I made these gingerbread crinkle cookies with all the flavours of gingerbread but in a cookie and they look nice and festive too. Obviously they can be eaten all year round but I do think they are a lovely addition to the festive season with a cuppa or a festive tipple. I think kids and adults alike would enjoy these cookies and are a perfect addition to the biscuit barrel

Cumbria Life - December 2025

I have recently discovered Gruyère cheese and decided to make some little cheese crackers with it. It is a hard cheese but has a delicious creamy but nutty flavour. I added some fresh finely chopped chilli too for a bit of heat. They are delicious little mouthfuls and one will certainly not be enough! They have a softer texture and are extremely moreish. I had hardly transferred them to a cooling rack and they were disappearing at an alarming rate! They are packed with Gruyè

I was asked if I could make some things that could be given as gifts this Christmas and I thought a jar of festive jam was a perfect start. This jam is flavoured with strawberries, cranberries, orange and spice. All the flavours of Christmas in a jar! It has so many uses apart from spreading on bread or scones. It can be used in cake and frangipani tarts too. Jump to recipe To start put the jam jars in the oven at 140 degrees centigrade (120 fan) faced down on a baking tray.

My flapjack recipes are so popular I just had to think of another flavour and a new Christmas version seemed perfect. For this festive version of my popular flapjack I used my homemade mincemeat and it worked really well. It is also a great way to use up any leftover after Christmas and really easy to make. You could also make this flapjack in advance and freeze it ready for the festive season. Mincemeat isn’t just for mince pies!!! It really is a tasty flapjack and very fes

There is always an abundance of clementines in the shops over the festive period and my fruit basket is always overflowing with them. For me they are quintessentially Christmas and I have to buy them when I see them. I had a lot of clementines to use up this week and one of the things I made was this delicious curd to go with my Cranberry and Clementine scones. It is so versatile you can eat on fresh bread, on a fresh scone, add to biscuits or put it in a delicious cake. It i

I thought I would make some mini Christmas cakes this year as they would make great presents for friends or family. I have added dried cranberries into my cakes but you could just use a traditional dried fruit mix. You can add any decorations you like and be creative! I have lots of nice festive cutters that I have used in the past to decorate my Christmas cakes for my cafe. I also think the addition of the baking parchment and festive string really finishes them off but you