City chefs tell Jade Wright how an early start can make all the difference when baking festive treats

THERES little more festive than a slice of Christmas cake or a good Christmas pudding on the festive table, and if you had planned on making your own this year, then now is the time to start.

Yes, I know were a good six weeks away from the big day, but if you plan on making your own, dont leave it any later than this weekend to give them time to mature.

You don't need to be Delia to know that your cake and pud will soak up more brandy the earlier theyre made and taste better.

Its hard to beat a homemade rich fruit cake packed with cherries, currants and nuts (and a generous slug of brandy), covered with marzipan and soft icing.

Chefs around Merseyside are currently whipping up batches of Christmas cakes and puddings to make sure the party season is a treat for the tastebuds.

At Kemps, at the Isla Gladstone Conservatory, chef Neil Dempsey is busy making dozens of the Stanley Park restaurants hugely popular Christmas cakes.

Yes, Ive started making my first batches already I always make two or three at once as they keep for over a year or so and they also make great presents, says Neil, formerly of 60 Hope Street and the West Tower at Aughton.

I also make my own cake at home, Id be a terrible chef if I didnt, he laughs. I really enjoy making the traditional Christmas cake and I often get my little niece to help me as she enjoys cooking (and making a mess!).

Neil is urging us all to get cracking and get our cakes done as soon as possible.

Its not too late to make your Christmas cake; however, the earlier you make it, the better the flavours will marry and the better the cake will taste, he says. Soak the fruit in whisky beforehand to give the cake added flavour.

Neil also gives his top tip: Add the whisky early, and make sure to sieve your flour. The lighter the mixture, the better chance there is of the cake raising. Dont be heavy handed. Practice also makes perfect.

At Kemps, they serve their Christmas cake hot, with a steaming mug of mulled wine perfect after a bracing walk around Stanley Park. But Neil also has another good tip for presenting your cake at home.

Mulled wine is always a good choice, says Neil. And a personal favourite is cinnamon mascarpone mix 150g of mascarpone with a teaspoon of icing sugar and two pinches of dried cinnamon powder. Its absolutely delicious . . .

As well as the cake, most of us will be tucking into a traditional Christmas pudding, which has origins going back to the 1420s when it wasnt seen as a confection or a dessert, but as a way of preserving meat at the end of the season.

Now its one of the most popular dishes in the Christmas menu, as any chef working in a kitchen this month will attest.

Its that one time of the year that everyone forgets their hatred for fruit cake and they lean towards the warmth and nostalgia of Christmas pudding, laughs Adam Townsley, Head Chef at Malmaison Liverpool.

Hes making hundreds of puddings to cater for the busy party season.

Youve still got time to make your own pudding this Christmas, just get cracking, he explains.

His top tip is: Always steam it for longer than you think, if you don't they will become rubbery and light in colour instead of soft, dark and sumptuous. And, of course, don't be shy with the booze.

Traditionally, a sixpence is stirred into the mixture, but the custom isnt often followed in commercial kitchens.

Purely for health and safety reasons, says Adam. But, at home, of course we do.

Instead, Adams top presentation tip is: Garnish with a holly leaf, dust with icing sugar, lightly flambee with brandy with a large sauce boat of Pedro Ximenez sherry creme anglaise.