Perfect presents

AN orange rustling in the bottom of a stocking, a sixpence dropped into the plum-pudding mixture, nuts, dates, gingerbread and festive drinks—these were the simple treats of Christmases past, as evoked in our food-themed Advent calendar this year.

Imagine the anticipation withthe reverence with which seasons were eagerly awaited and such novelties greeted: ‘After dessert, in orange season, Miss Jenkyns and Miss Matty used to rise up, possess themselves each of an orange in silence, and withdraw to the privacy of their own rooms to indulge in sucking oranges.’