tasty christmas tree Oh Christmas tree, oh Christmas tree – yeah, it’s that time of year again and a Christmas tree is a terrific theme for all sorts of tasty bites. It doesn’t need to be difficult either. Anything stacked in decreasing sizes to build a ‘tree’ will pass the test. For these 3D creations position the biggest shape on the bottom and the smallest on the top, finishing with a star or bauble type decoration and there you have it. Christmas tree shaped cutters are a great help but not essential. We have Christmas tree cutters available on our website. Savoury Christmas Tree Savoury or sweet creations can be assembled and with a sneaky squirt of gold spray it will look instantly festive. Cheat and serve a place of nacho chips as a Christmas tree. Create a central cone with a pepperoni sticks tepee secured with cocktail sticks to keep it stable. Or mould a cone shape from a stiff mix of crumbly cheese and cream cheese or add a squirt of Primula cheese in whatever flavour you prefer to a consistency similar to royal icing or marzipan. For the tepee construction, scatter the chips on the base of the plate and make levels by wedging the chips between the gaps of the pepperoni sticks or poking them into the meat so that they overlap. Add more chips to this layer slightly further out but not as far as the layer below. Continue until you reach the top and add a pearl onion on a cocktail stick as the star. If using the stiff cheese mix for the central cone, simply poke chips into the cheesy core, layer and stack at decreasing intervals until you reach the top. Use cherry tomato baubles to add to the festive look. Serve with dips of your choice and enjoy. Xmas tree biscuits If you’re not a kitchen queen but like to present things in a novel way, the same built tree can be achieved by layering cookies. They can be any shape. A stack of round shortbread, star-shaped biscuits or triangles are all good to work with. For a flat Christmas tree make a sponge in a baking tray. When cooked and cooled, slice the rectangle from corner to corner. Line up the right angled triangles along the long sides and the sloping sides towards the outside, the base will be made from the two short sides. Hey presto, add buttercream with soft peaks and decorate with gold balls and stars. Happy Christmas. Xmas cake