The Fifth Day of Christmas

Hello, thank you for dropping in.  I know that for some people, Christmas can be a difficult time - I have had several Christmases like that, times when I have breathed a great big sigh of relief on 27th December and been glad that it's all over.  It's difficult when you're hard up, or when you're lonely, or when you are grieving, or when you have to work and all around you there seems to be an excess of consumption and jollity. 

 

This year, however, we feel able to celebrate the twelve days of Christmas.  We don't put up our tree or any decorations before 19th December at the earliest, so we are not tired of them by the day after Boxing Day, and I am well aware that we can only do this because we are all at home and have no work until next week, but I do love the slow, gentle days between Christmas and New Year, the days when we have no timetable, we can wake up when we are ready and gently potter about.  Sometimes we even have chocolate for breakfast - and today I had a gin and tonic at 2pm!!  Soooooooooo decadent. 

 

Today, however, we did a little more than that as we had another celebratory family meal.  I fancied a spot of baking, something chocolatey seemed in order and thanks to a lovely friend, I have a bottle of Merlyn in the cupboard, a Welsh cream liqueur.  So, I used Mary Berry's recipe to make a chocolate and (Irish) cream liqueur roulade.

 

 

 

I love that brief, marbly  moment when you are mixing the chocolate in!  Would you like to see the  finished result? -

 

 

 

I know that it looks a bit rustic but Oh My Goodness, it tasted heavenly!  It's a chocolate roulade filled with double cream which has been whipped up with the aforesaid liqueur and the drizzle on the top is made with icing sugar, double cream and more of the liqueur.  It's definitely not child-friendly!

 

After that we did a jigsaw together.  We haven't done that for years and it was lovely.  And now it's quiet again, just the Best Beloved, me, the Christmas tree lights, the candles, a bottle of wine and something decent on the television.  Happy Christmas.

 

Love, Mrs Tiggywinkle x