Christmas in London

Bobbin was the first to wake up this Christmas, waking everyone up with toe attacks and nose kisses.

While the coffee was brewing and cinnamon buns baking, we all gathered upstairs to open our stockings.

Bobbin didn't even need to unwrap her presents before playing with them.

I'd popped a pair of Andy Warhol socks from Chatty Feet in Mum's stocking and Queen socks in my Nana's stocking.

One of my joke presents for Dad's stocking was a left-handed spork, but it turned out to be more useful than we thought, when he pulled his old broken spork from his bag which had snapped in half.

We also put a lump of charcoal cheese at the bottom of Dad's stocking to make him think that he's been bad this year.

Coffee brewed, we made our way downstairs to open gifts under the tree.

We always put a looping video of a log fire on the TV while we open gifts and this year we had our Smoke & Musk candle that we made with Earl Of East to add the smell of the fire too.

Everyone's gifts were wrapped in different coloured Underground roundel gift wrap, so I had made tube maps showing everyone which colour their line was to help them find their presents.

There were so many amazing gifts but the one that surprised me the most was a 3D printer from Tom.

We tested it out by making a lucky cat and I'm pretty sure this is going to take my crafting to a whole new level.

Mum & Dad got Bobbin an elf costume and she looked so cute wandering around in it.

I'd always wanted to drive around London on Christmas day, when I'd heard the streets would be abandoned, like a ghost town so it seemed like the perfect opportunity to show my Nana the sights.

We made our way over Westminster Bridge, past Big Ben and Westminster Abbey.

We then drove through St James's Park, past Buckingham Palace where the Queen was warming up for her speech and then to Knightsbridge where Harrod's was lit up like a Christmas tree.

I'd baked some brioche buns the day before, so packed a picnic of veggie bacon rolls for everyone to munch in the car.

We then headed north to Paddington and Maida Vale where, even on Christmas day, tourists were doing The Beatles pose on Abbey Road.

We swung through Kings Cross and Shoreditch, then past the Ten Bells in Whitechapel, which is Nana's favourite pub because of Jack The Ripper.

Finally, we made our way over Tower Bridge on our way home.

It was time for Christmas dinner when we got home and I'd planned a Pearly Kings & Queens inspired meal.

Bobbin decided to join us for Christmas dinner and made herself comfy in the middle of the table, so we decided to serve her special meal with a side of Pawsecco at the same time.

Our table was gold and black, with the new charger plates and coasters that Mum got me as a gift, black crowns and crackers embellished with pearly buttons and paper-cut Big Ben faces as placemats.

I'd made menus complete with a pop-up of the Houses Of Parliament.

We cooked our traditional Christmas meal, starting with Tom's homemade raviolli filled with sweet potato, wensleydale and hazelnuts.

We then had a glittering salmon en croute topped with a union jack and side of minty peas and hasselback potatoes.

Dessert was my chance to show off and I'd made Christmas Pudding Mousse Bombes, which were white and dark chocolate spheres filled with chocolate orange mousse.

inspired by Bob Bob Ricard, we served them by pouring a hot chocolate sauce over the top.

When the meal was over, we finally could relax and sat back and played a few rounds of Dad's guess the moustache game.