By Keighley’s Mike Armstrong, an award-winning master baker with a big passion for baking...

IS anyone else feeling down in the dumps at the moment?

It is not surprising, because January is by far the worst month of the year!

For the entire month of December, there's been light, music, fun, presents and parties, so it's understandable that once the decorations come down, you come down too.

So you might decide to go on a diet, you feel unhealthy and sluggish, so you start 2024 with good intentions – but a few days in you decide diets are not for you, especially in January when all you want is biscuits and chocolate.

Or, you might opt for a detox. You may set out to eat nothing but blended fruit and vegetables for a fortnight and drink green tea and aim to feel amazing, but after one day you give in due to being hungry and feeling rubbish! You might even pay for gym membership – however it is cold and dark out there, and you are tired, so you never actually make it to the gym. Then you beat yourself up for wasting money!

The start of the new year is the worst time to make resolutions. You are exhausted, and your motivation is at an all-time low; inevitably you will fail to stick to them and feel a loser – especially if you announced to everyone that you plan to give up smoking and drinking, and start jogging.

The school run is stressful at this time. The kids have got used to late nights and late mornings – you practically have to drag them out of bed and into school. Cue tantrums and tears every morning!

Even if you have subscribed to a 'dry January', you feel like a drink. Your dog is grateful for not going out for a walk in the freezing cold. Socialising feels like an effort, all you want to do is hibernate in your pyjamas until February. Facebook and Twitter are at their most dull this month, your news feed is full of weight-loss plans. You are skint until your next pay day and out of pocket after spending too much at Christmas.

The weather is rubbish, and if it rains there will be floods, and if it snows the entire country will come to a standstill. As a nation we cannot cope with weather in January.

Your tax returns are due at the end of the month, you still have to give the house a 'good clean' after Christmas and sort out your neglected finances – great! And many of us will be suffering from a winter bug this month.

So what is the perfect way to banish the blues? With a pudding, of course!

RECIPE

MALT LOAF AND MARMALADE BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING

Serves 4 portions

Ingredients:

2 x 260g packets of branded malt loaf

75g/3oz caster sugar

3 large eggs, beaten

150ml/5oz milk

150ml/5oz cream

110g/4oz marmalade or more

50g/2oz butter

Good handful of sultanas

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Method:

1. Slice the malt loaves thinly into around 10 slices per loaf, then spread with butter and marmalade on top.

2. Arrange neatly into a large ovenware container and scatter over a few sultanas and a sprinkle of nutmeg to taste.

3. To make the custard, add the eggs, sugar, milk and cream into a large jug and whisk well until it's all combined.

4. Pour the custard mix over the malt bread and then leave for 30 minutes so the custard can absorb.

5. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes in a preheated oven 180C/160C fan/Gas Mark 5.

6. Remove the foil and continue to bake for a further 25 minutes until golden and crisp and all the liquid has set well. Serve hot with steaming custard.