My poor children have nothing to eat, although to be fair, when Katianna and I tackled a gingerbread house to be the centrepiece for our Christmas Eve grazing table, she ate quite a lot of the dough.

It's the second time in our lives that Katianna and I have put together a gingerbread house and we're still speaking to each other.

Actually we're mainly laughing about how she had to retile my side of the roof with freckles after I ran amuck with the royal icing, chucked a 'nana and threw in the tea towel (luckily it didn't knock out a wall).

It was really my nap time after all, so she fixed up my mess and finished it all off nicely while I had a little lay down.

On my own I've managed to bake my first ever Christmas cake, using "gourmet" mixed fruit thank you very much, along with lashings of brandy.

My panforte slice - think dark chocolate with roasted nuts - is sitting in the fridge saying "eat me" and I've even made some yummy wee Christmas puddings with fruit mince topped in white chocolate and glace cherries.

Can you tell I love food, baking and Christmas?

I've purchased a mountain of snacks and specialty items to feed the hungry hordes while we watch carols on the telly, so if the power goes out any time soon we're going to lose a fortune in cheeses and cold meats.

I suddenly feel like I'm on holiday and I'm acting like it.

I knew I was being naughty when I deliberately decided to bake a batch of peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies to avoid doing unappealing paperwork - and my bickies weren't even for Christmas.

With my three teenage daughters finished school for the year, I don't feel too guilty about focussing on frivolous foods as I figure they can rustle up a meal if they start fading away.

Yasinta did get quite desperate one evening when I was out and she whipped up something to curb her hunger pangs.

Something sensible? Oh goodness no, honey joys and chocolate crackles.

Where on earth would she get an idea like that?