How to make your very own Cosy Scandi Christmas

Becci explained: “The concept of hygge and Scandinavian cosy living seems to strike such a chord with people, especially at the moment as we head towards those long dark winter nights. I grew up spending all my holidays with family in Denmark; my Danish grandmother taught me to make traditional Christmas crafts and dishes so I thought it would be fun to share our family customs in case other people would like to incorporate them into their own celebrations.

“The book covers everything you need for a cosy festive winter, with chapters on decorating, gifts and recipes. Projects include home-made Nordic ornaments such as paper stars, recycled gnomes, wild winter wreaths and even a Christmas tree bath scrub, plus there are edible presents to make, such home-made marzipan sweeties and liqueurs.

“Traditional Danish recipes feature everything from easy rye bread and overnight cinnamon buns to crispy roast pork with my granny's red cabbage and the ultimate in winter comfort puddings, and as we tend to play a lot of family games at Christmas there are a few ideas for those too. I have absolutely loved writing this book. It’s very satisfying to start with a rummage in the wardrobe or kitchen cupboard, have a moment of inspiration and then end up with a new craft project.

“This is the second book I have written during a lockdown so there was a rather necessary emphasis on materials that could be found in the home and upcycled! Bushcraft and foraging are one of my favourite pastimes. I teach survival skills for the local youth group. So many happy hours were spent wandering the Sussex woodlands looking for natural resources to incorporate into the seasonal decorations; huge thanks are due to all my teenage relatives who collected twigs, pine cones and other useful bits and pieces from the forest floor while I sat on a log and issued instructions!

“I run a Scandinavian gift website so I normally start planning Christmas in about January; it's a rare week where I am not surrounded by Nordic elves or testing festive food recipes in one form or another, so this is aimed at people who love winter as much as I do!

“I already have a book called Wreath Making For All Occasions featuring foraged and recycled materials such as driftwood and garden greenery which is published by White Owl, and I have just finished my third craft book for them which will be on sale next year.

“I have always enjoyed writing; I think at the moment it is so easy to get lost in an online world of news and images that rush past you so quickly and then are gone for ever, so to see your words and pictures in an actual paper book is such a wonderful feeling.”