COLUMN: CHRISTMAS is such a magical time of the year. The fun, parties, presents and parsnips. Yes, parsnips. After all, allotments aren't just for the summer.

Cabbages, Brussel sprouts, carrots, parsnips, swede, onions and potatoes all mine, all free. In fact, Christmas dinner is the cheapest but most delicious meal of the year thanks to my allotment.

The only things I have to buy are gravy powder, stuffing and the turkey (well, we're not allowed to keep animals ) leaving plenty of money for presents.

So, on Christmas morning, I will bounce out of bed to see what Santa has left for me this year. A shiny new fork or, perhaps, a hole-free hose pipe.

The best-ever gift would be a voucher for Alan Titchmarsh to do a whole makeover on my little plot (I hope he's reading this).

Gardeners are the easiest people to buy for there's always something we need. I'm hoping for a Swiss Army pocket knife to replace the feeble little rusty one I've owned since I was 16.

You can never find one when you're desperate to cut an essential piece of twine or want to peel a freshly-pulled carrot.

There's an amazing range of seed available, too. Sometimes it's not until somebody gives you a packet of an unseen variety that you try it. Yellow carrots or stripy tomatoes, it's a whole new adventure and a year-long gift.

I never prepare my veggies until Christmas morning. If they're so fresh, why turn them into the equivalent of nutrient-drained shop-bought veg by doing them the night before?

I always use a pressure cooker for the ultimate taste and then use the water for my gravy. Unless you have home-grown vegetables, you will never have a proper Christmas dinner.

My allotment has a holiday from me during Christmas but it's always fondly in my thoughts. Instead of getting very wet and muddy, I turn to my freezer which I filled during the summer.

While Christmas pudding is so rich, could you turn down seconds of apple pie or blackberry and apple crumble? Of course, as a West Country lass, a dollop of clotted cream is the final touch. Heaven!