Nothing warms chilly fingers and toes more than a hot cup of mulled wine with a mince pie. Synonymous with Christmas, mulled wine is very simple to make and you can get away with using a relatively cheap bottle without your guests noticing, as it is masked by the sweetness and spices.

Mulled wine has been around since medieval times, when the spices were probably originally used to mask the flavour of poor quality alcohol. The Nordic glögg and German Glühwein date back as far as the 15th century, but in the UK it was the famous Mrs Beeton who first recorded her recipe for mulled wine in 1869.

For an extra indulgent mulled wine try adding a good glug of port madeira or even Grand Marnier. Adam Gray gives his Mulled wine an extra sweet kick with the addition of peach schnapps. You can also try adding different herbs and spices; try thyme or bay leaves for a fragrant mulled wine or ginger and nutmeg for something a little more spicy. Add a cocktail spin with Marcus Wareing's Mulled wine Bellini recipe. Don't leave the kids out — make these delicious Children's mulled 'wine' jellies this Christmas.