Wow, that week went fast. I think I am done with Christmas shopping, but I always find that as soon as you declare that, you think of one more thing you haven’t got. I’m waiting for that shoe to drop. I still haven’t baked all the biscuits I made dough for last week, but I’m hoping to crack that this weekend. I did get to go to Borough Market today (see photo), and that explains why I now have two Bread Ahead doughnuts in me. So. Much. Custard.

• I can confirm that Dan Lepard tart pastry + Delia mincemeat + Paul Hollywood frangipane makes a seriously superior mince pie. Or go straight to the Richard Bertinet version.
• What you really need to hand at this time of year are tortillas. Almost any leftovers can be given new life in taco, quesadilla or burrito form. Some examples from the past week: scrambled eggs with spring onions, a leftover pork sausage and a little cheese – a deconstructed breakfast burrito. Quesadilla with cheddar and braised cabbage and apple. And these excellent kale, mushroom and goat’s cheese quesadillas (I added a leek, and some Comte).
• Word of the week may well be gingerbread: gingerbread waffles, gingerbread cream pie, gingerbread biscotti. I haven’t yet made this fifties recipe for proper gingerbread men. And if you haven’t read it in a while, go back and read Laurie Colwin’s piece about making gingerbread for her daughter. And if you don’t have Laurie Colwin’s ‘Home Cooking’, go and buy it right now.

Have a very Happy Christmas. Next week, I am going to round up some of my favourite long articles from the year.