MULLED wine is the traditional beverage offered and drunk during the Christmas period.

It is usually made with red wine along with various mulling spices - and sometimes raisins.

Mulled wine is served hot or warm and it is alcoholic, although there are non-alcoholic versions of mulled wine.

It is a traditional drink during winter and more than often it is drunk around Christmas time.

A fantastic warming drink and it is equally tasty with mince pies - a real Christmas favourite!

Ingredients:

1 bottle of red wine

2ozs of demerara sugar

1 cinnamon stick

1 star anise

1 tsp of grated nutmeg

2 satsuma oranges, halved

1 dried bay leaf

Method:

Put the wine in a saucepan with the orange, sugar, bayleaf and the spices.

Heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.

Taste to see if you want the wine sweeter, and add more sugar to taste.

Strain into heatproof glasses and serve at once.

Lesley Beech is a typical busy mum to two children.

She is now following her passion and dreams, via "Nourish" nutrition with Lesley.

Her whole ethos about food has always been to make simple, tasty and nutritious food that everyone loves - as well as feeding the tummy.

Lesley firmly believes that food is good for our mental health and well-being, in addition to keeping us nourished, of course!

She firmly believes that diets do not work in the long term.

Lesley says a quick fix doesn't teach the individual anything about the long-term plan after the "diet" has ended and how to go about maintaining the new shape afterwards.

She stresses that a person’s wellness is founded on education, learning how to best care for themselves on a daily basis by eating real, unprocessed foods and by incorporating some activity into their daily routines.

At "Nourish" nutrition with Lesley, she can offer tips and advice on lifestyle nutrition maintenance, weight management coaching, child nutrition and obesity prevention and behaviour change coaching.

For more information, e-mail Lesley at poshiebeech@yahoo.co.uk

Alternatively, interested people can visit www.nourishnutritionbylesley.co.uk