Emergency Christmas Cake - what happens if the cake or pudding is burned, lost or otherwise bgrred up? (and why to share NOW)

OK - we all know you should have baked and had your Christmas cakes and puddings resting by now? At least for a few weeks? Meantime - this is for the hapless and for those who won't die from fussiness nor lack of absolute Epicurean delight. My lovely Mumsnet if the best place for other help and recipes but here is mine

Save some fruit NOW. Mixed dried fruits, save some aside.

Emergency Christmas Pudding/Cake


Dried fruit (let's say) 4 - 8 cups (value brand is fine)

1 tsp Indian Cassia Bark, 1/3 tsp mixed spice, 1/3 tsp nutmeg

Grated zest of half an Italian lime, teaspoon Essex ginger (any)

1/2 cup Ocado/house/shop brandy

1/2 cup Ontario maple syrup/golden syrup (not for me the latter)

3 tblspns Molasses/brown sugar (phosphorus free if poss)

2 Tblspns table honey (Sainbury's is OK)

Himalayan Pink Salt (PINCH of any salt is OK)

1 cup British Unsalted butter

1-2 Bramley apples

4-6 Eggs depending on Breed /size/ (duck is good)

2 cups of flour of your choice - spelt is good

1.3 cup of Ground nuts, almond will do or select 1/2 cup of nut butter

1 Tablspoons Hot Chocolate powder

Chop it all, mix it up well and pour into your large saucepan, add a tablespoon of Somerset cider vinegar/Braggs (optional) and a cup of water.

Turn oven on to cake-heat

Bring saucepan mix to boil, then place lid on, allow to simmer on low heat (don't leave it unattended, keep stirring and checking) for approx 5-10 minutes

Grease and flour your tin, add gunk and bake on medium - ADD TO OVEN a large-ish bowl of water - place at bottom of oven. This helps stop it catching/drying out. Do not have oven on too high. This is a wet/puddingy cake/pud and not expected to be springy or bouncy. Bake for 1 and half to two hours (check it but it's fine as long as you love quality goo!)

Malcolm Rifkind hurts not only our country - but Scotland and the world

Rifkind is a passive aggressive accountant whom has tortured the world in the only way he could - with buying it.He has bought his way to the top of everything and is completely without conscience. This means Sir - you are a suspect of every crime going - from baby rape to human trafficking across the globe. Good people of the world know the truth about your type of investing and want no part of it. Ethical investment is a very real and good thing - you know this. There is no need to fund wars - if there was you would quadruple our defence spending and be promoting our armed services into a far better defending position. You clearly shift your goalposts to suit your pocket despite any human suffering, and have no care for what is right or wrong if it doesn't profit your party - the one contracted to Paul Warrick since 1982 - the mysterious shady character that we all want to know more about. You have been stalking and terrorising by proxy - gas lighting too - for many years now. Time you and your cracked-head mob were brought to Justice. We will fight YOU - meantime - if you were bullied as a child/had a cold mother - not all mothers are bulldogs or cold - you are still alive - time to find some beauty in  living things - no need to damage them. You don't have to manipulate and destroy and stalk everything anymore, you are sussed as the psycho you are sir. A scared litle man who needs control as he was bullied as a baby. No doubt at all. Corrupt tae fk.

Scotland - why YES is vital

I know some of the world's most beautiful and influential (and wealthy) Scots. They share something in common. Sense. Can assure you they've thought about all possible implications and problems they may encounter with the EU. With her global friends, most notable for me, Australia and Italy - they cannot fail. There is no room for failure. If the results are wrong, we will try again later. Much as I adore UKIP, they do have it wrong on the Scottish independence issue. Scotland can and will do more for England and tourism, than any other political party in the history of the world. The most effective lawyers and innovators are from her lands and the wisest, wealthiest and most innovative, dwell within. So YA trugarez (Breton for 'yes, thank you') More reasons why to vote OCH oui -Piketty agrees