Floating walnut candles are quick to make and they look lovely as part of your Christmas table centerpiece. Walnut candles can be made with only natural materials – no need to buy wicks: I’ll show you how to make your own with cotton string and cooking oil.

You’ll need:

• walnuts
• cotton string
• candle or tealight
• cooking oil
• knife and scissor

Carefully split the walnuts in halves with a knife. Soak the cotton string for some seconds in cooking oil and cut it into small pieces for the wicks. Light a candle, and as soon as the wax is melted, let the wax drop into the walnut shells. When the wax begins to harden, insert the wick – the cooling wax holds the wick in place. Now pour more melting wax into the walnut shell until it’s full to the brim. You can light the walnut candles as soon as the wax has hardened. The small walnut shell candles just burn for some minutes. Don’t let them burn too long: Blow them out before the shells start to burn.