One of the things I enjoy most about Christmas is making homemade chocolates, truffles, fudge and other sweet delights – and they’re perfect for giving away as presents. I’ve got tried and tested recipes that I use year after year, but this year I’ve discovered Life is Sweet and a whole new world of confectionary ideas has opened up.

Written by Miss Hope, a British confectioner from Hope and Greenwood, the book is perfect for this time of year, as it’s packed with ideas and delicious recipes for sweets and treats that you can make at home. There are 50 delicious recipes to salivate over, from the traditional favourites such as Turkish Delight, Chocolate Truffles, Cinder Toffee or Coconut Ice, to new ideas (to me, at least) such as Pavlova Islands, Unicorn Mallowpops, Mallows D’Amour, Chilli and Lime Shards and Raspberry Marshmallows.

Miss Hope has a very distinctive writing voice – jolly, nostalgic, humorous and with a touch of ‘Famous Five’ style – and there are numerous anecdotes, handy tips and facts scattered through the recipes. As well as the recipes sounding lovely, the accompanying photos reveal them to be gorgeous and you’ll be dying to rush to your kitchen and get cooking as soon as possible.

For some of the recipes, there may be ingredients that you’ve not come across or used before, but there’s a useful section at the back of the book with details of suggested stockists for certain items.

Of course, it’s not just suitable for Christmas and there are recipes in Life is Sweet that will take you throughout the year, but for ideas for homemade Christmas gifts, this book is ideal.

(But if your good intentions don’t quite work out, you can always pop over to Hope and Greenwood’s online store and purchase sweets online instead).