This recipe from the team at the Mountain Cafe in Aviemore, for Finnish mulled wine, is guaranteed to delight your tastebuds. At Books from Scotland HQ we’re looking forward to drinking this in the run-up to Christmas, wrapped up under cosy blankets, while reading a really good book.

In the early days of the Mountain Cafe we had a lady from Finland as part of our team. Anne introduced me to many fantastic Scandinavian treats. Her Glogi (Finnish mulled wine) was the best, and our recipe has been based on hers ever since. Anne’s top tip was to use plenty blackcurrant juice instead of lots of sugar and I think it gives a lovely natural sweetness. This does make it very easy to drink – you have been warned!

Ingredients (makes about 1 litre)

750ml red wine (not super expensive, just a decent drop)

100ml orange juice

100ml diluting Ribena

70ml brandy

100g vanilla sugar

2 whole cloves

2 star anise

2 cardamom pods

1 cinnamon stick

Place everything in a heavy-bottomed pan and bring to the boil for 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce to a gentle simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Taste and add extra brandy, sugar or orange juice as you like.

From The Mountain Cafe Cookbook: A Kiwi In The Cairngorms by Kirsten Gilmour out now published by Kitchen Press Ltd priced £20.