Happy New Year - Slàinte

A slow Twixtmas, a full fridge and a few sweet things to share.

Hello friends - As we wrap up another year, I wanted to take a moment to wish you all the happiest of New Years. Wherever you are in the world for 2026, I hope your days are filled with joy, delicious food and maybe a little time to relax!

Twixtmas has seen me, Ben and Hiro (the 3 musketeers) enjoying a slightly slower pace of life - recovering from what I think it’s fair to say was a chaotic year. We’ve eaten ALL the food and somehow the fridge seems just as full as it was before we did the crazy Christmas shop. Watched countless Christmas films, and myself and Hiro have claimed a semi-permanent spot in front of the log burner.

I was unfortunately under the weather in the lead up to Christmas, surviving on little more than porridge and dry toast. As someone who fully enjoys festive feasting, I can’t begin to tell you how painful this was for me! Thankfully, I was back on my feet in time for the big day - but it did mean very little baking beforehand.

Still, I did manage to rustle up a few things as gifts for friends…

First up: Tahini florentines, which I will now not-so-humbly declare some of the best I’ve ever eaten.

I followed El Kemp’s recipe (minus the sesame seeds as I was all out) and they were a huge hit! It’s safe to say that they will be on heavy rotation throughout the year.

@kempkitchen

El Kemp on Instagram: "I’m planning on making a batch of tahini…

Top tip: I don’t know if I’ve made up my own hack or not to get the florentines as round as I did - but this worked for me…

As soon as the florentines come out of the oven, place a cookie cutter over each one and use the back of a spoon to level out and flatten the florentines into the mould. We’ll pencil it in as the ‘cover and spread’ method!

I tried shwooshing them round in a circular motion first as you would with cookies, but it didn’t work very well. But the cover and spread made each one circular and uniform.

I also whipped up some spiced, candied pecans (recipe by Crowded Kitchen)which were dangerously moreish. I made enough to fill up a few spare Kilner Jars to gift to friends, and they went down a real treat.

Ignore that I accidentally wrote walnuts instead of pecans on this one!

And finally, I was mooching around for an easy recipe to make in between responding to emails and this one jumped out at me - mince pie pinwheels. I’d never seen them before and thought they looked great!

Before I sign off for the year, I wanted to say a huge thank you for being on this journey with me. Whether you’ve been with me from the start, or have just recently joined - your support, encouragement and friendship have made this year unforgettable.

I am beyond excited for what 2026 has in store - as I’m locking in and throwing myself fully into the world of food!

I’ll be sharing more next week about what’s coming, but for now - I’m wishing you a year filled with good health, great food and may your days be filled with happiness, laughter and joy.

Happy New Year! See you on the other side.

With love,
Mark & Hiro! ❄️✨