Help, I’m suffering from seasonally affected eating

Plunging temperatures and the easy availability of Christmas treats – ooh, mince pie...! – mean Ava Vidal has been struck down by seasonally affected eating. Where’s the harm? (Answer: on social media)

Full time: Busy mums often seek comfort in food (Getty)

I’m eating so much right now. Literally can’t stop. As someone who dropped five dress sizes over the summer, after having embarked on what Americans would call a “weight-loss journey”, this sudden acceleration in appetite has blindsided me – and left me bulging at the seams.

After months of mostly carb-free salad-munching, I can’t stop my cravings. Roast potatoes. Curries. Jerk chicken. Curried goat. Oxtail. Anything Caribbean. Anything loaded with scotch bonnets. Oh, and...

It’s not just savoury that I savour. There’s a doughnut shop near my daughter’s MMA class that makes an amazing cherry bakewell doughnut.