Do you remember these?

Tunis cakes are a milestone from Christmases of my youth. There was a definite way of eating them. Endure the madeira cake then enjoy the marzipan "fruit", if you were lucky enough to get one, then savour the chocolate, especially the thicker bit at the edge of the cake.

Tunis cakes have come back in recent years but they're not right. Where have the coloured marzipan fruit gone? Not quite the same with the dull, brown decoration on this cake. And although labelled a Christmas cake its use by date was 11th December.

Against our better judgement we went to Bluewater, our local 21st century cathedral to rampant materialism, with Doreen for Christmas shopping. We got off quite lightly all things considered. The journey back home was more torturous though taking twice as long as getting there.

We did enjoy a scone and coffee in John Lewis and even I was able to buy a few things.