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 […]
Meal planning
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 […]
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 […]
Week 1 2021 meal plan – and the school of mum and dad
Saying goodbye to the remnants of 2020 The decorations have come down, the Christmas bedding has gone into the wash, and the fridge is full of bits and pieces of yummy food (or ignored fruits and vegetables) which need to be used up. But as we move into week 1 2021, whilst I am pleased […]
Autumnal eating
There is no denying that this Autumn is a strange one. Like many others, I have been working from home for the last six months, a milestone which I am reminded of through mundanities such as switching on the heating (“last time I did that was before we went into lockdown”). Frankly it’s feeling like […]
A vegan misadventure
I knew that Andrew would not be particularly excited by my miso aubergine with Japanese rice and pickles last week (I say ‘mine’, it’s Jamie Oliver’s), but I wanted to restart meat-free Mondays for 2020. Although cheese undoubtedly makes food (vegetarian or otherwise) even more delicious, I did think an over-reliance on cheese might not […]
Getting back into the swing of things – first week of the year meal ideas
I won’t even pretend that I buy into all that ‘new year, new you’ nonsense. January is a notoriously tough month, following on from the excesses of Christmas and New Year, where all your friends are sworn off the booze or tasty food, and it would set me up for disaster to try and strip […]