You can buy excellent bottles of mulled wine ready-made, but you can also make your own — if you want the house to be filled with a spicy festive fragrance, then making your own is the order of the day.

Besides, continually tasting it as it heats up, until you are convinced you have got the flavour right is great fun and certainly gets you in the mood for a festive meal or party.

YOU WILL NEED One bottle of robust red wine Juice from a couple of oranges Couple of oranges — sliced Six whole cloves Two cinnamon sticks A handful of sultanas Brandy or an orange liqueur to add final flavour. (The amount used depends on your taste buds) METHOD There are two tricks to brewing up a good pot of mulled wine, the first is never allow the liquid to boil, or you will lose its alcohol content. The second is to make it several hours before it is needed so that the flavours can fuse together.

Tip wine and orange juice into the pot, with the orange slices, cinnamon sticks and sultanas. Tie the cloves in a small cloth so that they can be retrieved before you serve the mulled wine.

Simmer over a low heat until the house fills with the smell of spice, and taste. If you are happy with the basic taste, add a dash or two of brandy or an orange liqueur, taste and add more if you feel it is needed.

Now let it stand in a corner somewhere safe for as long as possible, before gently heating it up again and serving in mugs or heat-proof glasses, having removed the cloves and cinnamon sticks.

Note: Some people add brown sugar to their mulled wine while it heats up — this is an optional extra and something that can be added in the end if you want to sweeten it up.