At the end of every Christmas dinner, I tell myself that I am done with sugar, that I’ve eaten enough stollen, flan and almond genoise to last a lifetime. But without fail, breakfast the next morning always consists of a slice of my grandma’s flan and sticky caramel sauce. And no one ever beats me to the many boxes of chocolates and shortbread we always seem to end up with.

And as if Christmas dinner never happened, just days later I’m visiting my favourite bakeries, loading up on brownies, lemon tarts and whatever else happens to catch my eye.

East Village Bakery is a particular favourite: raspberry brownies, coconut macaroons, and raspberry thumbprint cookies