It’s getting to the darkest part of the year, and the creative part of me is finding it harder and harder to function. I combat my tendency to just hibernate on dull days with SAD lamps, comfort food and a promise to myself to take Vitamin D, exercise every day, and go for a walk whenever I can (natural light is so important, and even fifteen minutes outdoors makes an enormous difference to me).

For those of you who feel the same way about winter, I’ll be posting some of the things I find helpful on here over the next few weeks, so keep an eye on what’s going on. And to start us off, here’s my favourite chocolate mug cake recipe, from my friend, the chocolate chef David Greenwood-Haigh. It takes five minutes, it’s simple, and it’s the perfect brain food for those lightless, wintry days…