This is a very alcoholic jelly. You can turn it out from small jelly moulds, but, for a relaxed Christmas, I would recommend serving it in pretty glasses instead. If you wish to make one large mould, add an extra 2g of gelatine. It makes 950ml of liquid.

You can decorate it with orange zest, cinnamon sticks or, if you’re feeling recherché and well organised, gold leaf. This can be bought from Squires, in Farnham, or by mail order (www.squires-shop.com).

Serves 6

1 organic orange
1 organic lemon
2 sliced rounds of peeled fresh ginger
1 small cinnamon stick
2 cloves
100ml vodka
8 green cardamoms
200ml port
1 bottle fruity red wine, such as zinfandel
150g granulated sugar
25g sheet gelatine

Use a potato-peeler to finely pare the zest from the orange and the lemon. Place in a bowl with the ginger, cinnamon, cloves and vodka. Roughly crush the cardamoms and mix into the vodka. Cover and leave to macerate overnight.

The next day, pour the mixture into a noncorrosive saucepan. Add the port, wine and sugar. Gently heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved. The mixture should never reach a simmer. As soon as it is piping hot and fragrant, remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, place the gelatine in a large bowl. Keep the sheets loose and slightly separate as you pour on enough cold water to cover them. Leave to soak for 5 minutes, then drain off the water.

Strain the hot wine through a fine sieve onto the soft gelatine and stir until the gelatine has dissolved. Leave to cool. Pour the mixture into 6 glasses or jelly moulds. Chill overnight until set. Decorate and serve.

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