Whilst you can buy all sorts of piping gadgets, the very best way to do it is to make simple paper piping bags.

You can pretty much use whatever baking paper you have hanging around - greaseproof, parchment, or silicone paper although the less waterproof the paper is, the more careful you'll have to be that they don't burst.

Waxed paper is best for chocolate as it stops the grease from seeping out.

Making a piping bag is easy. Tear off a square of paper, fold it corner to corner and use the fold as a guide to cut it into two triangles (you can slice through the fold with a knife just like opening an envelope with a letter knife). Roll one of the triangles into a cone, with the pointy end starting halfway up the long side. when it's tight, all three points will meet up (the square corner sandwiched between the two other corners) fold the points over a couple of times to secure the cone.

If you're using a piping nozzle, snip off the tip about a centimetre up and drop the nozzle down.

Spoon the icing into the cone carefully, don't fill it any more than about half way up or you'll have problems with it squidging out. When it's half full, flatten the open end down, fold the two corners towards the centre, then roll down the top to seal it all in.

If you didn't use a nozzle, now is the time to snip a tiny bit off the tip to let the icing free. Remember, you can always snip off a little more, but you can't undo it if you snip too much.

If that's hard to follow, try this video - it's always easier with pictures!

When you're piping, I find it most controllable if I grip the top fold between my thumb and the side of my plate, then gently squeeze with my fingers