Sorry for the delay in publishing – we were away for the weekend. It’s the time of year for lists and ‘best ofs’, so I’ve been looking at a few best books of the year posts, and also bookmarking recipes to make over Christmas.

• I’ve kicked off my Christmas baking by making dough for chocolate sables and clementine biscuits, and tart pastry for mince pies, and stashing them all in the freezer. Rolling and baking commences next this week.
• Amongst the possible Christmas desserts I’m musing over are Stevie Parle’s Buche de Noel, or this Hungarian recipe described as “like a sort of trifle cake”, but mainly this Hazelnut Sherry Meringue cake.
• Two recipes I’ve been thinking about making for a loooong time are Chocolate raspberry rugelach from ‘The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook‘ and Ottolenghi’s Chocolate Babka from ‘Jerusalem’. This Christmas may be the moment.
• Some cookbooks/food books of the year roundups from the Observer, Love and a Licked Spoon, Signe Johansen, The Telegraph.
• In a more grumpy tone, here are Esquire’s most annoying food trends of 2014, and a snarky analysis of the Christmas Williams-Sonoma catalogue (think Lakeland but with more Martha Stewart).