The scents of the season

I don’t really mean those artificial cinnamon and clove scented candles and air fresheners that are all over the place at this time of the year but the real deal; the aroma of the Christmas cakes baking.

The dried fruit has been soaking for a few days; longer than I intended because life got in the way, but it’s none the worse for that. As always, I marvel at the Delia Smith advice to use “three tablespoons of brandy” for a huge quantity of dried fruit. I think there’s at least half a bottle of rum in that bowl and there’s not a drop to be seen. My word, do those currants taste good!

This morning, it was time to get everything else together, then, beginning with the flour and spices. Just opening the tin of mixed spice immediately brings Christmas to mind, and there’s rather more nutmeg in there than the recipe demands, simply because I can’t stop grating it when it smells so divine.

Sorry it’s not smellivision then, because you’d be able to smell the lovely rich scent of muscovado sugar too. It’s funny how something can smell sweet, isn’t it?

It was the citrus that brought my Hero upstairs to the kitchen though, sniffing the air and appreciating the smell as much as I was. As soon as we’d had our lunch, I mixed the ingredients together and put the three cakes in the oven where they are now gracing the whole house with the most glorious reminder of the time of year. I love it.

I didn’t feel quite so positive yesterday morning though, when the first snow of the season had fallen overnight when I needed to be out early. Thankfully, by the time I left it had turned to rain and the remaining snow on the cotoneaster was looking like a posterised effect in Photoshop!

I’m sure I have heard people say they could smell snow in the air too, but surely they are imagining it? Apparently not.

Give me nutmeg any day.