I recently made my Christmas cakes and puddings from my great grandmother’s recipe but I have forgotten one crucial step. The cakes and pudding are wrapped in cheesecloth and then in white cotton and tied to hang in the basement. Each week, they are taken down and soaked in Brandy but what I do not remember is…do you over-wrap the cotton with foil or plastic wrap before hanging to hold in the moisture or do you just hang them up wrapped in the cotton. Anyone who still does cakes the old fashioned way will know the answer. Please pass on any info you have.. Greatly appreciated

I usually remove the cheese cloth and soak it into brandy then replace it on the cakes, I don’t wrap foil around it just the cloth suffice but keep an eye on it you want to keep it wet to prevent the cakes from drying and store the cakes into a covered cardboard box to keep dust away from them store in a cool, dry and dark place like the cellar .