Hello January!

I can’t believe it’s already January! December was a whirlwind - what a month, and how quickly it flew by! As many of you know, each month on our website we launch a new 7-Day Challenge, and this time there was only one choice - my all-time favourite, Christmas biscuits.

I absolutely love making them - they bring back so many happy memories of home, and after bread baking, this feels like my specialty in the baking world. And don’t worry, these recipes aren’t just for Christmas; they’re just as wonderful to enjoy at any time of the year.

We also added a brand-new recipe for you to try - Mango Tiramisu - and I truly hope you enjoy making it as much as I enjoyed creating it.

The biggest announcement of the month - perhaps even the year - was the publication of my book! I had originally hoped to release it at the beginning of the month, but delays meant we weren’t sure it would arrive in time for Christmas. Thanks to the efforts of the publishers, along with the incredible support of an independent local printer, everything came together just in time. My books arrived on 18th December, a full week before Christmas - far beyond what we had hoped for. You can purchase my book here!

My husband and I quickly put an action plan into place, preparing meals in advance so we could focus entirely on the task ahead. When the books arrived, we turned into elves in Santa’s grotto, working late into the night to sign, pack, and deliver them to the post office. It was a hectic few days, but everything ran like clockwork. Even the children joined in and it truly was a wonderful team effort.

In the middle of all this excitement, we also faced a more challenging moment when my eldest son spent a couple of days in hospital. It was a stressful time for us as a family, but I’m very relieved to share that he is doing well now. Thank you so much to everyone who reached out with such kind and thoughtful messages - they truly meant a lot.

I’m incredibly grateful to the hospital staff for their outstanding care and attention; they were simply wonderful. My son had been pushing himself too hard and needed to rest and this was his body’s gentle reminder to slow down. And through it all, Louis, our dachshund, proved to be the very best nurse, rarely leaving his side for a moment.

After all the stress, we were finally able to slow down and begin Christmas at home. We quickly bought a tree and decorated it together. Every year, I leave the decorating entirely to the children - and without a doubt, it was the best-decorated tree in the world.

I do sometimes step in, mainly to make sure the tree doesn’t topple over under the weight of all the decorations! But each year, I notice how their confidence grows and this time, my eldest even stepped into my role, gently adjusting decorations when my youngest proudly placed everything on one branch. It was quite funny to watch this new tradition evolve right before my eyes.

I have to admit, not everything was hard work. I was lucky enough to be invited to a dinner party with my wonderful school friends - the food was fantastic and the company was even better!

This year, I also decided to borrow a little inspiration from Mike, my fellow Bake Off contestant, and try my hand at making a Christmas log cake. After watching his reel, it looked wonderfully simple - though in reality, it proved a little trickier than expected! That said, I used my own sponge and cream recipe, and it was absolutely worth the effort. The log cake turned out delicious. If you’d like my recipe, do let me know in the comments.

I absolutely love having the children home from school during the holidays, and we all very much needed a break. To get into the festive spirit, we headed into town for the Christmas light switch-on, which was a little underwhelming this year – maybe due to the gloomy weather.

We made the most of our surroundings with plenty of walks along the beach and through the forest - we’re so lucky to live close to both. And in the evenings, we once again rolled up our sleeves and worked hard to get all the books signed, packed, and sent on their way.

On Christmas Day, we enjoyed a wonderfully relaxed celebration - just the four of us at home. Our usual tradition is to open presents, cook a big breakfast, and then head out for a long walk on the beach. However, this year my husband had a sore foot, so plans changed and we stayed home in our pyjamas all day. This turned out to be a welcome rest, and we had a lovely peaceful Christmas day.

Since my time on Bake Off, life has often revolved around social media and cameras, so this year it felt especially important to put my phone down for a short while and simply be a mum. I did sneak a few photos over the couple of days – of course - but that was it. Christmas dinner wasn’t perfect, the table wasn’t styled to perfection, but we loved every moment. What truly mattered was that we were together. We opened presents, shared good food, played games and laughed. And that, to me, is the very definition of a perfect Christmas.

As for New Year’s Day - well, that was a bit of a disaster! I spent the entire day in bed, which was probably my body’s way of telling me to slow down. Looking on the bright side, I didn’t have to do a thing - just rest, relax, and watch television. Not a bad way to welcome in the New Year. I even got to watch myself on the Great British Bake Off New Year Special, which was great fun.

Finally, I just want to say a heartfelt thank you to all of you for the incredible love and support you gave me throughout 2025. It truly means more than I can say. I can’t wait to see what 2026 has in store for us all.

With love, Nelly

Ps. Have you read my blog yet? You can find my latest post here.