Dissolve the yeast with 1 tablespoon of the sugar in a little tepid milk. Put the flour into a bowl, rub in the butter, add the cinnamon, nutmeg, mixed spice, a pinch of salt and the remainder of the sugar. Mix well. Whisk the eggs and add to the milk. Make a well in the centre of the flour, add the yeast and most of the liquid and mix to a soft dough, adding a little more milk if necessary. Cover and leave to rest for 2 or 3 minutes then knead by hand or in a food processor until smooth. Add the currants, sultanas and mixed peel and continue to knead until the dough is shiny. Cover the bowl and let the dough rise in a warm place until it doubles in size. “Knock back”, by kneading for 3 or 4 minutes, rest for a few minutes. Divide the mixture into 14 balls, each weighing about 50g (2oz). Knead each slightly and shape into buns. Place on a lightly floured tray. Egg wash and leave to rise. If using shortcrust, arrange a cross of pastry on each one. Leave to rise until double in size. Then egg wash a second time carefully. We tend to decorate with what we call a “liquid cross”. To make this, mix the flour, melted butter and water together to form a thick liquid. Fill into a paper piping bag and pipe a liquid cross on top of each bun. Preheat the oven to 220ºC/425ºF/gas mark 6. Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes then reduce the heat to 200ºC/400ºF/gas mark 6 for a further 10 minutes or until golden. Leave to cool on a wire rack. Split in two and serve with butter.

Ovenproof frying pan, about 28cm across and at least 3.5cm deep, or a tarte tatin tin Preheat the oven to 180°C, 160°C Fan, 350°F, Gas 4. To Make the Pear Topping: Step 1: Peel, core and thinly slice the pears. Squeeze lemon juice over the slices to prevent them from discolouring. It’s important to have the pears ready before preparing the caramel. Step 2: Place the frying pan over a low heat and add the butter, sugar and the preserved ginger syrup (or honey and grated ginger). Allow the butter and sugar to melt and then turn up the heat. Cook until the mixture turns golden. Don’t worry if the butter separates from the sugar, it will all come back together again in the end. Swirl the pan to mix the caramel so that it colours evenly. Remove from the heat as soon as it becomes a rich golden colour. Slide the pear slices immediately into the caramel, spreading them over the base of the frying pan as evenly as possible. Take great care not to cause any splashes with the hot liquid or to touch the caramel. To Make The Cake: Step 1: Using an electric beater, cream the butter and sugar together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs together in a small bowl and add the eggs little by little, beating between each addition. Fold in the flour, ground almonds, ginger syrup (or honey and ginger) and baking powder. Place spoonfuls of the batter at intervals on top of the pears and then spread it out to cover the pears completely. Step 2: Place in the oven and bake for about 40 minutes. Test by inserting a skewer into the centre. When the skewer comes out clean, the cake is ready. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes. Step 3: Loosen the sides of the cake with a knife. Place a serving plate (or board), slightly larger than the cake, on top of the pan. Lift the plate and the pan together, holding both tightly, and flip them over sharply (use a cloth to protect your lower hand from any dribbling juices). Lift off the pan. Serve with some crème fraîche or ice cream.