There are a few simple steps to help keep your Christmas tree alive for longer, and ensure your tannenbaum doesn’t become a tannen-bummer. (A tannenbaum, by the way, is a fir tree.) Great for drizzling over desserts or pancakes, using in baking or as a syrup in tea or a gin and tonic. Layer pine cones and sugar in a sealed jar and leave in a warm place for about three weeks, then sieve to remove the pine cones. When setting up your Christmas tree, remember to keep it well away from heat sources, including heat registers, fireplaces, wood-burning stoves, space heaters, and south-facing windows, as these will accelerate the drying process. Spruce cones are long and hang down from the tree. The scales are smooth and overlapping, flexible and soft. Put the spruce shoot, or douglas fir, in a blender with 750ml tequila and blend until the liquid turns a nice light green. Pass the liquid through a cloth or muslin to remove any hard bits of tree.

Andersen points out that some people swear by commercial Christmas tree preservatives, which can be mixed into the water in the stand. Others have said that they’ve had success by mixing a tablespoon of corn syrup or sugar into the water as a food source for the tree. Some people even add aspirin to the water. Add the salmon fillets and pour the rest of the spruce mix on top and turn the fish to ensure it is coated with the mixture. A natural cold remedy, best made with the young growth in late spring and summer. About two tablespoons of chopped needles will make one strong cup.Rub the squeezed lime around the rim of the glass and sprinkle with salt, or put salt on a plate and put the glass into it rim side down.

Cover and place in the fridge for 3-24 hours. The longer you leave it, the more firm the salmon will become. If money is an issue, Ross Duncton at Columbia Threadneedle Investments suggests speaking to friends and family members so as to “manage expectations with gift-giving to take some pressure off the purse strings this year”. No one will want you to get into financial difficulty to fund the festive period, he says. Yew and cedar trees can be confused with the edible trees, but must not be eaten as they are poisonous. Yew doesn’t have the citrusy smell in its needles that fir has. Yew needles are matte green underneath and do not carry the hallmark white lines like fir needles and eating even a small handful of yew leaves can be fatal.If you’re one of the nearly 30 million households who will be getting a live Christmas tree this year, it’s important to keep the tree fresh throughout the entire holiday season. A fresh tree not only smells nicer than a dry, brittle tree, but it’ll also drop fewer needles, remain greener longer, and pose much less of a fire hazard. For a delicately flavoured roast, place two or three decent sized branches under the joint as it roasts to impart flavour to the lamb.

The underside of the needle will have two white strips with a green line at the centre and when crushed will have a strong smell of resin or citrus. Real Christmas trees are recyclable and can be shredded into chippings, which are then used in parks or woodland areas. Alternatively you can replant them, meaning you can enjoy your tree for years to come. At Christmas time, many of us get carried away, with cheese, biscuits, chocolate, alcohol and vegetables the foods people often buy too much of. If you are broke but still hosting this year, why not discuss sharing the shopping costs or ask guests to contribute something to the meal.Look for an organisation or charity that offers a ‘treecyling’ service where it could be used to build effective flood barriers in communities around the UK