When I was a teenager, my father bought a rumtopf crock at a summer car-boot fair. He'd tried some traditional rumtopf made by a German couple many years before and, upon finding this pot, decided to recreate it himself. He excitedly layered fruit, rum, and sugar until the crock was full and stashed it in our cellar. Many months later, at Christmas time, the dusty pot was revealed, and we eagerly lined up to sample the contents.

Oh. My. Goodness.

The fruit juices had mingled with the rum to create a magnificently mouth-watering liquor, which suspended the soft, sweet chunks of preserved fruit. Served with a big dollop of vanilla