Which Indian desserts get your stomach rumbling and taste buds jumping in anticipation? Perhaps it’s rasgulla, a syrupy desert thought to have been a traditional Oriya dish for centuries, and popular throughout Orissa and West Bengal, as well as neighbouring Bangladesh. On the other hand, it could be kheer, the slow-boiled rice pudding found throughout India, Pakistan and Nepal.

Did you know that a taste for halwa extends far beyond India? While it’s possible to order authentic Karachi halwa and suji halwa online, a love of these sweet confectionaries spreads throughout South Asia, the Middle East, right through Central Asia, Eastern Europe and the Balkans… and whether you know it by the name of halwa, halawa, halva, helva, halvah or halava, it still boils down to the same sweet indulgence, made from a base of either semolina, wheat or even carrot, and mixed with ghee and sugar. Throughout Eastern Europe, variations made from tahini, sesame or sunflower seeds are also regional specialties; however sesame and tahini halwas are notably drier and crumblier than suji (semolina) halwa. A word of advice though – if you’re planning to take any sort of halwa along on a picnic, make sure that it’s wrapped up tight in your hamper, because otherwise you could be looking at a sticky mess!

After living in the UK, a personal favourite is eating achappam (or ‘rose cookies’ as they’re called in England) with family and friends at the end of the year. Rose cookies are a popular Christmas food not only in the UK of course, but they well deserve their status as popular worldwide Christmas cookies. I couldn’t imagine any Christmas hamper without them.