Jacob's Treeselets - 280g

In Britain, Jacob's is the name on the crackers at Christmas, and Treeselets are the playful end of the family. These are the ones for picking at, not for building a careful little tower of cheese on.

If you are searching for them in Canada, you are usually chasing a particular evening: the Boxing Day cupboard raid, cold cuts, a dollop of pickle, the telly on and nobody going anywhere. A British Christmas a long way from home is built out of small things like this.

They come in a 280g caddy with a lid, which matters more than it sounds. It keeps them in good order in the cupboard between raids, it goes straight on the table when people drop round with drinks, and it balances on the arm of the sofa better than any bowl.

People tend to buy them with the rest of the spread: a block of proper cheddar, a jar of pickle, a box of crackers for cheese and a tin of chocolates for afterwards. Treeselets are what gets eaten while everyone is still deciding.