Cover and place in the fridge for 3-24 hours. The longer you leave it, the more firm the salmon will become. Jane Berry, who runs the Shoestring Cottage money-saving blog, suggests heading to charity shops and getting creative yourself. “You will find a good selection of secondhand decorations in charity shops,” she says. “They bring them out about now and they tend to be very cheap.” The underside of the needle will have two white strips with a green line at the centre and when crushed will have a strong smell of resin or citrus.

Rub the squeezed lime around the rim of the glass and sprinkle with salt, or put salt on a plate and put the glass into it rim side down.At Christmas time, many of us get carried away, with cheese, biscuits, chocolate, alcohol and vegetables the foods people often buy too much of. If you are broke but still hosting this year, why not discuss sharing the shopping costs or ask guests to contribute something to the meal. Sky-high energy bills have meant a renewed focus on home usage but making your home look festive with fairy lights won’t add much to your bills. You should avoid decorations that use older lights with halogen and incandescent bulbs because they use a lot more energy but outdoor lights are often made using cheap-to-run LED lights. Andersen points out that some people swear by commercial Christmas tree preservatives, which can be mixed into the water in the stand. Others have said that they’ve had success by mixing a tablespoon of corn syrup or sugar into the water as a food source for the tree. Some people even add aspirin to the water. According to the British Christmas Tree Growers Association, between six and eight million real Christmas trees are sold in the UK every year; A typical six to seven foot high Christmas tree is between 10 and 12 years old; Nordmann Firs are the most popular in homes, making up 80% of those sold, with Norway Spruce making up 10-15% Add the salmon fillets and pour the rest of the spruce mix on top and turn the fish to ensure it is coated with the mixture.

Yew and cedar trees can be confused with the edible trees, but must not be eaten as they are poisonous. Yew doesn’t have the citrusy smell in its needles that fir has. Yew needles are matte green underneath and do not carry the hallmark white lines like fir needles and eating even a small handful of yew leaves can be fatal. A Christmas pudding. Try to work out the food quantities you need to buy. Photograph: esp_imaging/Getty Images A natural cold remedy, best made with the young growth in late spring and summer. About two tablespoons of chopped needles will make one strong cup. Great for drizzling over desserts or pancakes, using in baking or as a syrup in tea or a gin and tonic. Layer pine cones and sugar in a sealed jar and leave in a warm place for about three weeks, then sieve to remove the pine cones. Record food price inflation means many households will be spending less money on Christmas meals this year. Photograph: The Irish Image Collection/Getty Images/Design Pics RF

How to eat (and drink) your Christmas tree

If you are thinking about getting an artificial tree, it is worth making a considered choice. According to the Carbon Trust, a 6ft 6in (2 metre) artificial tree is responsible for about 90lb (40kg) of greenhouse gas emissions – which means you need to reuse it for about 10 Christmases to keep its environmental impact lower than buying a real tree every year, depending on the materials used in the fake tree. For a delicately flavoured roast, place two or three decent sized branches under the joint as it roasts to impart flavour to the lamb. Take into consideration how many people you are cooking for and how many meals you will be expected to prepare,” she says. “And factor in that some of those meals will be perfect made from the leftovers of your main Christmas meal.” A household with a string of 200 LED lights using 6W power could expect to increase their bills by 27p if used for six hours a day for 22 days over the whole festive period, based on current electricity prices, according to Uswitch calculations. Battery-powered lights are another good option, especially if you already have a stash of batteries at home. You can always turn off other lights in the room and enjoy the glow. If, however, you have an artificial tree, then make sure to look at ways of keeping them for future Christmases so they don’t end up in landfill where they can take centuries to decompose.

Drop your tree off at a recycling centre where it can be turned into chippings for paths or turned into soilBlend the salt, sugar and spruce tips in a blender until the spruce is chopped up and mixed nicely with the salt and sugar. Pour half the mixture into a bowl or bag. As the country winds down from the festive period, millions of households and businesses will be looking to take down their Christmas decorations – and in total dispose of eight million Christmas trees.