Expert artisan baker Frank Heuff, who runs the baking classes at Cook It At Frogmary in Somerset’s South Petherton, originally hails from the Netherlands, where baking is a popular Christmas activity.
“In the Netherlands, it is traditional to bake and celebrate at St Nicholas, which is on December 5th. On this day we bake a huge range of cakes and biscuits, many including plenty of spice and also almonds.
Speculaas are one of the most popular baked goods: a type of gingerbread with a marzipan filling. Stollen is also popular, along with Tulband: a sweet and fruity yeast bread that is eaten with butter.
Personally, my favourite things to bake at Christmas are Stollen (the French way), Christmas cake, croissants and my own special mincemeat tarts. I also make my own pâté and sausage rolls for the festive season, and of course lots of baguettes – they are a family favourite!”