1. Buy some Brie to make tasty sandwiches for a long bus journey (if you buy a baguette you can cut costs and make it last for two meals). Surprisingly the Brie is packaged in a tin, keep the tin as it may prove useful.

2. Visit post restante at Phnom Penh post office and collect Christmas goodies sent from home.

3. Open up package from parents and delightedly unwrap a Tesco finest Christmas pudding!

4. Buy a brandy minature from your local shop (may cost more than you’d expect).

5. Ask your guesthouse for a plate, a spoon and some ice (ice to cool the pineapple palm wine you bought). As an unexpected bonus the guesthouse provides you with a bucket of ice plus tongs.

6. Clear a good space on the tiled guest room floor, making sure all flammable materials are at a safe distance. Then light a tea light.

7. Remove pudding from packaging and place in empty Brie tin. Using tongs hold the tin over the flame. After a few minutes turn pudding to heat the other side.

8. Turn pudding out onto plate and douse with brandy.

9. Heat some brandy in the improvised “pan”, pour into metal spoon and set alight.

10. Pour flaming brandy over the pudding whilst singing “we wish you a merry Christmas…”

11. Enjoy the fruits of your labour, remember the proof is in the pudding!

Laura