Tradition is what you make it

[The world is currently relentless, what? Lockdown 3, I had some surprisingly good professional news today, and while I was celebrating that with a little midweek drinking* and an opera a coup breaks out in the US. Anway, here's what I wrote earlier.]

Today I'm writing about new traditions, rather than revisiting the tried-and-tested #HeritageKitchen recipes of yesteryear.

Three or four years ago I accidentally established an Epiphany tradition of making a fruit cake. It was one of the first times the chap and I had had Christmas together, and by the time 6 January rolled round, we'd long since eaten most of the Christmas goodies, and I was quite fancying making something fairly fancy. 

I rummaged around in my Goodhousekeeping (c2005 edition) and stumbled across its 'Spiced Fruit Cake'.  I'm not usually much fussed by fruit cake, and don't bother with a Christmas cake, but this seemed just the ticket. It's zhuzhed up a bit by including chopped stem ginger, and ginger wine (I use syrup from the ginger, because I've never knowingly seen ginger wine, and wouldn't buy it specially for this). And you blend half the soaked fruit before adding it to the cake.

Having made it now for three (or four?) years on the trot, I think it's established as A Tradition. It's nice to have something nice to do at Twelfth Night rather than just taking the decorations down.

And today we also partook of a more recent tradition: tinned fish for lunch when working arrangements change. We had them the first day I worked from home, the first day I was furloughed, the day I was back to work, and now the first day the chap's been back working from home (last term he had a very nicely isolated office of his own to work from, but any going into college seems unwise now, so he's back here having collected books and things yesterday). It's the little things, isn't it?

Stay safe, everyone.

* A quince and gin sour made with the quince vodka I made from the last quince. Top tip: dissolve the honey into the spirits before adding the ice to the shaker, otherwise the honey will just set into a cold,
hard blob.