High fives to all the parents who survived home school. Big thanks to all of the teachers remote teaching (and teaching children of key workers) unvaccinated during a global pandemic. Well done to the support networks of those families and friends who kept the rest of us (somewhat) sane when also coping with their own […]
Traditional Welsh Cakes recipe – the authentic Welsh teatime treat
Traditional Welsh Cakes for a teatime treat I love Welsh Cakes, which are a traditional Welsh dish. They are soft, buttery, not too sweet and slightly salty, warmly spiced, and filled with dried fruit. The first one straight off the griddle is definitely the best cook’s perk! They make the perfect accompaniment to a cuppa, […]
Week 8 2021 meal plan – surviving half term
Someone recently told me that with this half term, Ioan is half way through his first year at primary school, which is a bit shocking … especially for half of that time he has been ‘taught’ (in the loosest sense of the word) by us at home. It’s also shocking to realise that Ioan has […]
Week 7 2021 meal plan – heading into half term
A couple of weeks ago, I thought to myself that half term would not really make a huge difference to us: we’d still have to find ways to entertain Ioan and still work our full time jobs. But by the end of last week, both Ioan and I were well and truly sick to death […]
Week 6 2021 meal plan – a freezer dive
So, it turns out that I need to plan my week’s menu before I order my shopping and get it delivered, otherwise I end up in a situation like now where I have to do a few days of freezer dives to get dinner sorted. I don’t know if freezer dive is a real expression, […]
Week 5 2021 meal plan – a bump in the night
Headbutting a door … a bump in the night Our week started with an anniversary meal on Monday, followed by the usual monotony of lockdown, and ended with (quite literally) a bump in the night. Specifically Ioan’s forehead bumping into the side of his bedroom door at midnight (apparently he was trying to get to […]
Week 4 2021 meal plan – an Indian banquet with Kanishka (review)
I know it’s hard to believe as I look so incredibly youthful (joke), but Andrew and I have now been going out for 25 years. The anniversary is today (25 January, also Welsh Valentine’s Day, coincidentally), and I do have a very special anniversary meal I will be cooking tonight (I’ll tell you about it […]
Week 3 2021 meal plan – read the recipe properly
Whole lamb shoulder, not diced lamb shoulder My grand plans for a lovely lamb hotpot on a cold wintry day (a Cookbook Challenge from The Pie Room by Calum Franklin) were foiled by the fact I didn’t read the recipe properly, and didn’t buy the correct ingredients. I read 2kg lamb shoulder, immediately decided to […]
Farewell to Alfie the cat
Alfie the cat, my beautiful white furred baby, died just before Christmas. He was nearly nineteen and had been ill for some time, but took a sudden turn downhill and we had to call the vet to put him down. I wasn’t going to write a blog post about it, but then I re-read the […]
Week 2 2021 meal plan – and home school horrors
Working from home with a four year old Well it was never going to be easy, was it? But I won’t complain (too much) as the companies we work for are being very understanding, allowing us the flexibility to work and look after Ioan, and that’s not the case for everyone. Ioan is thoroughly enjoying […]