1. Poached hyacinths
   Poached strawberries
2. Poached pears
   Poached eggs

Pears are a fruit that many people don't quite feel qualified to cook, but a poached pear is a thing of beauty. If you poach it in honey, ginger, and red wine, all the alcohol will burn off, and you'll have a delightful and surprising seasonal dessert!

1. Hot chocolate
   Hot milk
2. Hot water
   Cocoa wine

A cup of tea is a lovely English delight, but it's not very decadent or Christmassy. It's better to celebrate the Christmas season by swapping in a delicious hot chocolate instead! If you prefer cocoa, just add a little sugar for those with a sweeter tooth.

1. Lychee
   Pineapple
2. Banana
   Satsuma

Some may say, "But a small variety of orange is not a sweet!" However, they are a proper traditional Christmas treat, that symbolises both sharing (because they come in segments), generosity (because they used to be very hard to come by in the UK in winter), and giving. The latter comes from a story about St. Nicholas throwing sacks of gold down a chimney, which landed in the stockings of the household's daughters, set to dry by the fire. The oranges symbolise this gift and the resulting wealth.

1. Turkish delight
   Spanish delight
2. Greek delight
   Venetian delight

Turkish delight has been popular in the UK for well over a hundred years and is often eaten in the winter months, especially at Christmas. Just make sure you don't accept any from a mysterious woman in a sleigh, as she is the Snow Queen, and her Turkish delight comes at a price.

1. Sugar mice
   Sugar beetles
2. Sugar rats
   Sugar cats

Sugar mice may be quite the sweetness explosion, but that doesn't stop the true Christmas connoisseur from enjoying one. 'Tis the season, and besides, they do make a lovely table decoration until you eat them!

1. Toffee pudding
   Treacle tart
2. Tarte tatin
   Figgy pudding

"Now bring us some figgy pudding!" is the second verse of the song, "We wish you a Merry Christmas!" and you cannot argue with the message. Figgy pudding has been around for at least 700 years and is a British classic. It's also a great way to use up any figs before they go bad!

1. Candy chestnuts
   Candied lemon
2. Cadbury's Roses
   Marzipan fruits

Little marzipan fruits are never more popular than at Christmas time, as they add a splash of colour and some cheer to the table. They usually come with dessert, and they're a fun alternative to yet more chocolate!

1. Shortbread
   Stollen cake
2. Chocolate bread
   Rice bread

Britain has always been open to bringing home the cultural ideas of other nations, and this includes the wonderful German Christmas invention that is stollen cake. It's a kind of bread made with nuts and spices and dusted with icing sugar. It's delicious and a nice change from regular cake!

1. Dolly mixture
   Liquorice allsorts
2. Black pudding candies
   Little Boo candies

Liquorice allsorts are generally the primary way that liquorice is eaten these days, but the black candy is itself a British favourite dating back many centuries. It was first imported from the Middle East via Europe, and while it is less popular these days, lots of people still like it.

1. Honey pudding
   Honeycomb
2. Honeycake
   Honey shortbread

Honeycomb is a crunchy kind of toffee, as opposed to the usual stickier variety. It is often homemade over the Christmas season and sometimes coated in chocolate. It's brittle and gets stuck in your teeth easily, but it's worth the extra time cleaning them afterwards!

1. Sugared almond
   Sugared peanut
2. Sugared pistachio
   Sugared liquorice

Sugared almonds, sometimes made even yummier by adding an extra layer of chocolate coating, have been popular in Britain for generations. They can be deceptive, though, as they look like chocolates, so if you have a guest who doesn't like nuts, warn them before they bite into one!

1. Mulled wine sorbet
   Frozen wine
2. Wine ice cream
   Frozen grape

Mulled wine is a Christmas classic, but if you don't want to booze it up, these days, it's considered a good idea to turn it into a dessert instead. You can even make a non-alcoholic version that tastes just as good — and results in fewer unpleasant conversations at Christmas dinner!

1. Aberdeen cake
   Dundee cake
2. Inverness cake
   Edinburgh cake

Dundee cake hails from the Scottish city the same name and is full of currants, almonds, and possibly whisky. You can mix it up with various fruit peels and other additions, so find a recipe you like and go to town!

1. Aero
   Terry's Chocolate Orange
2. Smarties
   Fruit pastilles

We mentioned earlier that giving a satsuma was a Christmas tradition, and Terry's Chocolate Orange invokes this. Following a very successful advertising campaign about how one should fill one's entire stocking with Chocolate Oranges, it has been a popular Christmas snack.

1. Chocolate Bethlehem
   Chocolate money
2. Chocolate tree
   Chocolate rabbit

Chocolate money is often given for both Hanukah and Christmas, so it does double duty. These foil-wrapped coins come in white, dark and milk varieties, and they are often given to children in their stockings.

1. Quality Street
   Celebrations
2. Biscuits!
   Roses

Celebrations are miniature versions of many of the UK's favourite chocolate bars, and they are widely loved despite not having been around that long. They have empowered us all to feel like we've had lots of chocolate bars, but they are really small, so they hardly count ... right?

1. Nut fondant
   Candied apple
2. Truffles
   Jam roly-poly

Truffles are another chocolate that some cultures love all year but that the British tend to prefer in the darker months, probably thanks to how decadent and rich they are. Bringing truffles as a gift is always a smooth move for any Christmas guest coming to a British home!

1. Pear slices
   Orange and lemon slices
2. Apple slices
   Coconut slices

Candied fruit slices are a traditional treat at Christmas, and they make a break in the monotony of all that chocolate. Plus, once you have had a few, your palate is now cleansed and you can eat more chocolate.

1. Mince pie
   Rose pie
2. Steak pie
   Bread pie

A mince pie does not contain mince. It contains "mincemeat," which is a mix of raisins, cinnamon, cloves, orange and other spices. They are a classic Christmas treat that has been around for generations, hence a name that erroneously strikes the modern ear as decidedly non-vegetarian.

1. After Eights
   Bendick's Bittermints
2. Matchmakers
   Mighty Mints

No meal is complete without an after-dinner mint served with the coffee, and Matchmakers are just sweet enough to gratify a sweet tooth but dark enough to please those who prefer less sugar. Give them a go!

1. Hazelnut liqueur
   Time Out
2. Flake
   Ferrero Rocher

Ferrero Rocher is a French confection that is popular in the UK, and often given by guests. It's become particularly noteworthy due to a hilariously badly-dubbed advertisement set at an ambassadorial reception, which means you still can't serve it in Britain without people putting on bad French accents to make fun of it. As a result, it's a great icebreaker.

1. Christmas pudding
   Mince pudding
2. Sticky toffee pudding
   Syrup pudding

Christmas pudding is not served as often as its fans might like, but it usually pops up at Christmas lunch. It is made of sponge, plus various fruits and often some brandy. Make sure you chew carefully, as there is often money hidden in the pudding, and you wouldn't want to chip a tooth!

1. Bittermint
   Wintergreen
2. Sourmint
   Peppermint cream

A lovely peppermint cream has been a popular confection in the UK for a couple of hundred years, at least. They come in various shapes and sizes from multiple brands, and indeed, you can even buy a box of fancy ones at the House of Commons gift shop!

1. Hazelnutbread
   Almondbread
2. Walnutbread
   Gingerbread

Gingerbread is often served at Christmas, and many families make a tradition out of decorating gingerbread men together to create elves, snowmen, or little Father Christmases. The trick to tasty gingerbread is not to overcook it — it is at its best when it is a bit gooey.

1. Rock candy
   Shortbread
2. Shortcake
   Candy cane

Candy canes are still big in the USA, but they're not very popular in the UK, though they were traditionally a favourite. Still, they are handy to have around in a pinch, because you can hang them on the Christmas tree!

1. Orange creme
   Strawberry creme
2. Roses and violets
   Coffee creams

Coffee creams are another particular favourite in the UK that is less common across the pond among our American cousins. They are often given by guests at Christmas, but do make sure your host likes them first!

1. Meat pie
   Steak and kidney pie
2. Mince pie brownies
   Ham shortbread

If you love brownies and you love mince pies (and you remember that there is no actual meat in them), then why not make mince pie brownies? They are a relatively new invention, and you can find good recipes online, so make a family activity out of it, and you'll enjoy a lovely fruity confection!

1. Spiced Victoria sponge cake
   Spiced summer pudding
2. Spiced bread-and-butter pudding
   Spiced Baked Alaska

Victoria sponge cake is a British classic, but it is a little too summery for the winter months. However, thanks to modern assumptions that favourites will be available all year, and some TV chefs coming up with wintry recipes, these days it is considered a fashionable option to make a Christmassy version, simply by adding the appropriate spices.

1. Jam roly-poly
   Chocolate roulade
2. Yule log
   Vanilla roulade

Traditionally, a Yule log was a chunk of wood that would be burned at Christmas for a lovely warm home. However, these days it means a pudding that is designed to look like a short log. It's often a sort of giant roly-poly coated in chocolate, but if you're really good at baking, you'll decorate it to look just like a log!

1. Roses
   Heroes
2. Quality Street
   Guylian shells

Roses or one of their counterparts are a must-have for Christmas in most British houses. Indeed, it would be positively tragic to get through the holiday season without at least one enormous tin of choccies — and if you get through it entirely too quickly, then you've really gotten into the Christmas spirit!

1. Fondant
   Creme
2. Fudge
   Cream

What would Christmas be without a lovely block of fudge? Chocolate, vanilla, orange, mint, or butter, it's all good. Delicious fudge makes everything better! It's traditionally a good gift to bring, as it keeps for a long time, meaning that (unless they gobble it all up in one go), your hosts will remember you fondly for several weeks.

1. Shortcake
   Shortbread
2. Gingercake
   Cumincake

Shortbread is a Scottish invention and usually eaten in the winter months. It is a butter biscuit (that's a cookie to an American) made with sugar and flour. Some people adore it, while others find it a smidge on the bland side.

1. Scottish tablet
   French scroll
2. Spanish MP3 player
   French reliquary

The Scottish treat known as tablet is a bit like solidified fondant, and not wholly unlike fudge — and it is delicious, as long as you have a VERY sweet tooth. It's not even as hard to make as you'd think, and it keeps quite well, so you should consider cooking some up as a family activity this Christmas!

1. New Year cake
   Twelfth Night cake
2. Boxing Day cake
   Extra cake

Twelfth Night cake is a traditional fruitcake that is served on January 6th, the last night of Christmas. It often includes a variety of fruits and sometimes brandy, though you can certainly enjoy a non-alcoholic variety.

1. Tree chocolates
   Candy canes
2. Gift chocolates
   Eve chocolates

Hanging chocolates on the Christmas tree is a grand tradition that goes back to at least Victorian times and possibly earlier, while the trees themselves are probably a 16th-century German tradition. The chocolates are hung on Christmas Eve, usually after children have gone to bed, so that they can be a delightful surprise. Just remember to hang them out of reach of any dogs, as chocolate is very bad for them!

1. Rhubarb crumble
   Sticky toffee pudding
2. Eton mess
   Trifle

Trifle is a grand British tradition, made of layers of sponge fingers that come with custard, fruit, whipped cream, and sherry or brandy. It's very decadent, but hey, 'tis the season! We say go for it!

1. Orange pudding
   Hot toddy fruitcake
2. Ginger pudding
   Toast

Fruitcake is a popular seasonal treat, as are hot toddies, so why not combine them? A hot toddy is a whisky drink made with honey, water, and spices, and a fruitcake is, well, a fruitcake. Put them together, and you have a surprising and wonderful Christmas sweet.

1. Edinburgh rock
   Christmas rock
2. Devon rock
   Summer rock

Rock is a British candy that typically comes in stick form, often with a word — such as the name of the local town — appearing in it. It's fiendishly sugary and very brittle, and it can get stuck in your teeth easily. Enjoy the Christmas variety, but remember to floss!

1. Baked Alaska
   Queen of puddings
2. Eton mess
   Meringue roulade

This melange of custard, cake, jam, and meringue is a fine British winter dessert that will dazzle your guests, partly because it tastes great and partly because it's really quite hard to pull off. Still, the effort involved is worth the result, and it's a bit more interesting than Christmas pudding.

1. Tunis cake
   Marrakesh cake
2. Florence cake
   Naples cake

This cake is favoured by none other than Mary Berry herself and is a fun pudding with which to surprise your Christmas guests. It's British despite the name, as it was created by a baker who was stationed in Tunis in World War Two.