I'm a self-styled cookfreak (although the label was attached by my boyfriend). I cook and bake to relax and unwind, to let off a bit of steam, to please my friends and to indulge myself. I love travelling and new, local recipes are my favourite souvenirs. Must be Christmas. Polish tradition calls for 12 different meatless dishes on Christmas Eve. My mum, however, cannot be contained and we end up with about 20 every year. When I was 12 I decided to make my first ever gingerbread cookies. The recipe called for 2-3 tbs of cream, I misread it for 2-3 glasses. In order to save it I kept adding more flour, but it wouldn't work. By the time I've come out of my trans-like state I realised I used 2 kg of flour, the whole kitchen was covered in white dust and my mum would be back from work any minute.