Lebkuchen are one of my absolute favourite christmas treats. They’re a kind of german gingerbread that’s somewhere between a cake and a biscuit. This year has been the first year I’ve tried to make them myself though (I normally just rely on sainsbury’s). I was really pleased with how they turned out so I thought I’d share the recipe so you can try them for yourselves.

INGREDIENTS

LEBKUCHEN

• 250g plain flour
• 85g ground almonds
• ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 200ml clear honey
• 1 lemon zest, finely grated
• 85g butter
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• pinch each ground cloves, grated nutmeg and black pepper (or replace all the spices lebkuchen spice mix if you find them)
• 1 tsp baking powder

ICING

100g icing sugar

15ml water

30g bar dark or milk chocolate (I go for dark)

THE BAKING BIT

1. Mix all of the dry ingredients in a bowl
2. Heat the butter and honey on a low heat.
3. Once the butter has melted add in the dry ingredients mix and the lemon zest. Mix well until it forms into a dough.
4. Leave to cool, covered, for 10-20 mins
5. Put your oven on at 160C
6. Break the dough into around 30 balls (they should be a bit smaller than a golf ball) then squish them into the shape of a cookie.
7. Put them onto as many lined trays as you need, and bake for 15mins (no more!)
8. Leave to cool (for real though leave them to cool, I know they smell good)
9. Once they’re cool you’re ready to ice. Mix the icing sugar and water in a bowl, you might need a little more water but see how you feel. Dip one half (semi circle type half, you could do either, but this is easier) into the icing, leave to set.
10. Melt the chocolate in a bain marie (a bowl over a pan of boiling water) and dip the other half of the lebkuchen into the chocolate.
11. Leave to cool then enjoy!

There’s so much going in London throughout the year, but even more so over the festive period, some might say it’s even too much. But I’ve sorted through never ending list of and pulled out a couple of gems so you don’t have to.

1. Experience Christmas Past at the Charles Dicken’s Museum, where the rooms that Dickens lived and worked in will be decorated for the festive period as they would have been then.  (30th November – 8th January)

2. Take a wander down the mile-long festive trail in Kew Gardens at night and see it lit up with more than 60,000 lights, ft. a sparkling Christmas tree and colour-changing reeds.  (23rd November – 2nd January)

3. Go skating at Somerset House, then, if you’re feeling fancy, visit Fortnum’s Lodge to warm up after (17 November – 15 January)

4. Visit the giant Christmas Tree Oslo gifts Britain every year at Trafalgar Square, if you’re lucky you might even catch some caroling 

5. Get magical at Hogwarts in the Snow at the Warner Bros Studio (19th November – 29th January)

6. See the Christmas lights on Oxford Street, I pass them every day and I’m still not tired of seeing them 

7. Enjoy some mulled wine and pick up some Christmas Gifts at the Winter Festival at the South Bank Centre (11th November – 22nd January)

8. Eat, drink, and be merry in Borough Market – I’m particularly excited for the Eve of Cheese. (7th December – 24th December (14th December for the Cheese))

9. Take a break from shopping and enjoy some carols at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church (Check for dates and times)

10. Sit on Santa’s lap or watch La Soiree in the Leicester Square grotto  (11th November – 24th December)