While some people don’t like Autumn, to me it’s one of the best times of the year. September is back to school, new school bags, new pencil cases and new pencils, as a child I loved it!! The weather is often good and we have a warm late summer. The trees start to change colour, the conkers start to appear, nature is at its beautiful best. Autumn Crocus (also called Naked Ladies because they don’t have leaves) signal the change in the season when they suddenly appear just like magic.

Autumn is the time for fungi and if you are lucky you might spot some. We have recently been to Scotland where the change in season seems even better than down south. We saw many iconic red and white toadstools – Fly Agaric is their proper name, but they look like perfect fairy houses! If you are clever enough there are edible fungi you can pick and enjoy, but please only do that with a fungi foraging expert!

With Halloween just passed, what’s not to love about Autumn - dressing up,l for Halloween parties are all precious memories, that’s then closely followed by bonfire night. Memories of being in my grandma’s garden around a bonfire and later big firework displays all make my memories of Autumn very special.
If things couldn’t get better you then have Advent. My mum bought me a hand made advent calendar with little bags that she would fill each year. We still have advent calendars in our house despite there being no children!

By December we are in full blown Christmas season, Christmas songs and carols, festive jumpers, decorations and so many beautiful lights.
Christmas food is special too, my mum would collect special foods throughout the build up to Christmas and she would make Christmas cakes, mince pies, sausage rolls, sloe gin the works. She was a great cook and loved to have parties and host events.

Mum passed away in 2015 and so this recipe written on the back of a 25th wedding invite in her handwriting is very special. Mum loved parties and I am sure she enjoyed whoever’s 25th anniversary it was. If a letter came through the door in the evening she was always excited to see what she had been invited to! I suspect this invite was from over 30 years ago. 

Mum wrote this recipe out for my cousin, Annie, who would often ring Mum up and Mum would repeat the recipe to her, it’s a brilliant Christmas cake that can be eaten straight away if you want. It doesn’t need to be matured but you can if you would like to. 

Seeing the recipe in Mum’s handwriting, with stains on it from whatever she was cooking, is very special. Using an old invite was very much my mum - she was a great cook. She was also incredibly frugal; re-cycle and re-use was nothing new to her, she never threw things away and never wasted anything. Please enjoy making this Christmas cake and start making your own Christmas memories and traditions…

Mum’s Condensed Milk Christmas Cake
Ingredients:
100g of cherries
250g currants
250g sultanas
100g mixed peel
1 can of condensed milk
250g butter
½ pt water
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons mixed spice
10oz plain flour

Method
• Into a large saucepan place all the ingredients except the mixed spice and the flour.
• Bring the ingredients to the boil while stirring well.
• Boil for 3 minutes then remove from the heat, stir well and set aside.
• Allow to cool to room temperature and then add the flour and mixed spice, mix well.
• Spoon into a lined baking tin, I used an 8 inch round tin and have a lovely deep cake, you can use a bigger tin and have a thinner cake or you could use  a square tin.
• Cook at gas 3, 140 fan for 3 hours. (Top tip: set a 3 hour timer!)
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
• Poke holes in the top with a clean knitting needle (as Mum did) or a cake tester and drizzle over a couple of table spoons of brandy.
• Wrap well and feed the cake every week with another 2 to 3 tablespoons of brandy depending on how boozy you would like it.
 
How to make this recipe vegan:
This is very easy, just replace the butter with a vegan block margarine (not a spreadable tub) and the condensed milk with the Nestle vegan version, everything else is just the same and follow the method exactly the same.

I hope you enjoy,
Lisa Williams
 
Lisa is the founder of Roseberry Cottage Enterprise Ltd, providing work-based activities, and support work for adults with learning disabilities. Accredited with Suffolk County Council
Placements and sessions available. It’s a wonderful local organisation and while being home to many wonderful, creative activities, also makes some of the best cakes we’ve ever tasted! 
 
Contact Lisa through:
Facebook: Roseberry Cottage Trimley
Facebook group: Stennetts Café Cooking for Fun
Instagram: Lisa_cooking_4_fun
Email: lisa.meadows1@btinternet.com
 

Mums original handwritten recipe, written on the back of a party invite!!

Mum and dad enjoying afternoon tea in 2015

Instead of icing the Christmas cake you can coat in warm apricot jam and stick beautiful glace fruit on top, wrap around some festive ribbon and you have a last minute decorated cake that looks amazing