It was our first Christmas together as a couple. I’d fallen not only for his wild blonde curls but also his sense of adventure and shared love of travel. We met in June that year of 2018 and decided to spend Christmas, just the two of us in Austria. I’d never been, he assured me that my love of Christmas would be on overdrive there. After a few mulled wines one night we booked flights to Salzberg and through some stroke of luck found an incredible apartment above Getreidegasse or Grain Lane, Salzberg’s most famous street, just a few doors down from Mozart’s birthplace. We arrived on December 23rd to clear blue skies, the air so cold and crisp it enlivened my spirit and made my nose tingle with every breath.

The ancient, thick stone walled apartment was hidden behind a huge, medival looking door from the street overlooked Christmas markets. The smell of sugar, waffles and hot chocolate floated up as I flung open the bedroom window and leaned out, my eyes widened with delight at the sparkling fairy lights, tall thick pine trees, the bustling stalls selling wooden handmde crafts and sounds of merriment below.

The smell of cinnamon, star anise and cloves cast spells in the air as passersby clutched steaming mugs of mulled wine or gluhwein in their mittened hands. It was hot, spiced and potent! During those 3 days and nights wandering, gloved hand in hand around Salzberg, time slowed down, shops closed their doors for Christmas. We put on our Christmas clothes under puffy coats and pulled on winter boots and laughed at our little in-jokes as we ate tiny morsels of Christmas dinner in Europe’s oldest restaurant St. Peter Stiftskulinarium set in the walls of St. Peter’s Abbey since 803AD. We posed for photos under their forest of Christmas trees festooned with twinkling white lights and meandered content (if still a bit hungry!) around the markets and old bars sipping gluhwein.

It was a magical time of hope, love and gluhwein. Though I can never recreate the same Christmas magic that spellbound us in Salzberg, I have recreated this gluhwein recipe full of spices and warming ingredients many times since. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. And though that time and sparkle has sadly faded, the future is full of opportunity to create new festive season memories cradling a steaming mug of gluhwein in your gentle, hopeful grip.

Ingredients

• 1 orange sliced (skin on)

• 1/2 a lemon sliced (skin on)

• 1 bottle red wine (merlot is best)

• 200g caster sugar

• 5 cloves

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 2 star anise

• 3 slices fresh ginger (peeled)

• 150ml brandy, rum or amaretto

Method

Put the orange slices, wine, sugar, cloves, cinnamon, star anise and ginger in a large pot. Warm gently for 10-15 mins, being careful not to let the mixture boil. Add the alcohol, pour into glasses or more traditionally - mugs and serve warm. Top with a cinnamon stick or slice or orange or both! Or my favourite way - put the whole lot in a slow cooker on low (don’t let it boil) and leave it sit warm and ready for you. Pop it on in the morning, go for your walk / swim and it’ll be ready when you get home for snuggling by the fire.