Choice Blog

Christmas has come early in the Wright house

Christmas arrived early in our household this year when the kitchen was filled with jam jars and the aroma of stewing apples, spices, vinegar and other exotic ingredients- Mrs Wright's Christmas Chutney.

Next to assault my senses was her version of the Great British Bake Off with tin after tin of fruit or lemon drizzle cakes. Sounds like Private Godfrey's sister's upside down cake in Dad's Army. Sadly, my chances of sampling the cakes have gone after I tried the chutney and admitted I prefer Branston Pickle. A schoolboy error.

The cakes are all labelled and wrapped in cellophane, the chutney with seasonal decorations ready for a Christmas Fayre aimed at raising funds for Home-Start, the charity which provides practical support for families. At the heart of Home-Start's services are volunteers who visit families and mentor mums and dads giving them a knowledgeable friend who can help with all aspects of bringing up children successfully.

It seems such a common-sense service in today's fragmented society when giving kids good early years is so important in their development to give them a better chance of making a success of their lives. 

Common-sense; practical; simple. So it will come as no surprise government funding and support is increasingly being reduces or removed. That's why the chutney is filling the kitchen. And that's why as I type this the sweet smell of cake is wafting around the house. Unfortunately, I can't supply cakes or chutney mail order but I can commend Home-Start to any reader who wants to help locally. In the meantime on behalf of the team who bring you Choice every month I wish you a wonderful Christmas and a happy and healthy 2019.

What do you think of the early Christmas? Have you started your Christmas bakingyet? 

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