The Christmas lights are already going up and the Yule cards, which seem to go on sale earlier and earlier every year, are starting to drop through letterboxes – and it is only early December! Flag visitors will be among those now who are preparing to suffer writer’s cramp, or already have, in sending out the annual Yule greeting cards which so delights the postal authorities world-wide. The blame, or indeed credit, for this annual bonanza lies at the door of a Scotsman, for it was a Leith printer, one Charles Drummond, who set on motion the sending of cards at Yule. In 1841 he printed a card portraying a cheery, well-fed looking chiel with a message proclaiming ‘A gude New Year and mony o’ them’. There was no mention of Christmas as at that time, indeed until the 1960s, Christmas was just another working day in Scotland and the real celebration was Hogmanay. How times have changed. But whether you now celebrate Christmas or stick by the old ways of waiting until the New Year, this week’s recipe – Oatmeal Stuffing – will enhance turkey or chicken on any occasion.

Oatmeal Stuffing

Ingredients:  225 g (8 oz) oatmeal; 1 small onion; 60 g (2 oz) butter, melted; pinch of sage; 1 garlic clove; salt and pepper

Method:  Dice the onion and crush the garlic. Mix oatmeal, salt, pepper, sage, onion and garlic. Mix in butter then stuff the bird, of your choice, with the mixture.

NB Quantities obviously depend on the size of your bird, so adjust accordingly.