CHRIS RUNDLE

HERE'S YOUR EARLY WARNING TO GET PREPARED FOR YOUR CHRISTMAS PUD, SAYS CHRIS

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DOMINIQUE finished the last of her veal, put her knife and fork down and said she had a favour to ask. Fire away, I said. Would there, she inquired, be any chance of us bringing over some Christmas puddings next time we came? Say, four, so the children could all have one?

Absolutely, I said. No problem. Leave it to me. Aussitôt dit, aussitôt fait and all that.

I should explain here that, aside from being just French, Dominique is staunchly Breton and whatever other gastronomic delights you may encounter as you travel the byways of the Armorique peninsular (including lobster à l'armoricaine which is wrongly billed as 'à l'américaine' in so many restaurants) Christmas pudding will not be among them though one of its surviving ancestors will (see below).

But we can claim the distinction of having introduced Dominique and her family to the seasonal treat.