I've been making cakes and biscuits almost constantly for a week now. Considering that, it's possibly surprising that this is my first attempt at iced fairy cakes. I looked up a recipe - equal amounts of sugar, butter and flour, two eggs, vanilla essence, whisk it all up - it looks pretty good. Then I check again and they're supposed to be madewith self-raising flour instead of the plain I've been using.

Ah crap!

Cue grand scale dig to the back of the "ingredients" cupboard for some baking soda.

Well, as it turns out, they're light and sweet and tasty and just as spongy as yer average fairy cakes are supposed to be.

We had a little construction line going last night - I did the icing, Bethan did the silver balls and Allison put them in the box. And Nanny ate them. And a very nice night was had by all.

At risk of incurring the scorn of some of my regulars, I'm actually getting into the christmas spirit now - even going so far as to catch myself humming "wonderful christmastime" this morning on the bus.

Now I'm off for a spot of infanticide as they've both come home from school tired and miserable.