I wanted...I bought...I made

Vension faggots ready for christmas day

'Tis bizarre but the only Saturday of the year when I absolutely know I will not go to Borough is the one before Christmas. It is simply too horrible to contemplate, spectacularly busy to the point of completely mobbed and that's at 9am. Add snow to the mix and God knows what horror it is by mid afternoon. So my plan is to go early Sunday and collect my gammon and some cheese and coffee then run away home.

Saturday am planning culture afternoon with the lovely David, Turner Prize followed by cinema then spag bol and garlic bread at ours due to the fact that some toerag stole all of David's clothes and things from the gym culture was cancelled but restorative spaghetti at the end of the day helped a tiny bit. Sunday possibly out for lunch more spaghetti for dinner with the last of it intended for lunchboxes Monday. Monday night I'd like tofu and rice and cabbage had steamed eggs and leeks and rice so in the same kind of ball park, Tuesday lentils or dahl grilled pork chops with mash and carrots and peas, Wednesday we are out, Thursday is ham sandwiches as is the tradition in my family xmas eve, one early as we are spending Christmas with Jaey and Marie and they are planning a Swedish feast that I am very excited about.

OMG Never have I seen Borough Market so empty as it was Sunday morning. We got there about ten and I swear there was no more than 4 other people there shopping. It was brilliant! But only for us, for the stallholders who had turned up in the sub zero snow fest what should have been one of the best times of year for them was very bad for business. It's a real shame - they work so hard all year supplying such amazing produce they deserve the bonus that xmas brings.

Started at the beautifully laid out but completely empty Ginger Pig where I bought a gorgeous piece of gammon for the end of the week £21.38

Then to Muirenn Smokehouse for salmon - the trader told me that with the arrival of snow on Saturday the market pretty much emptied out and the afternoon had been deathly quiet. They plan to be there all week though they have currently lost a truck full of fish somewhere between the west coast of Ireland and Borough. Bought a pack of salmon - £10

Tub of olives from Fresh Olive Company - the only place where there was another customer - got the melange - £4.50

There was no Ted's Veg, or Harriet at Organics so wandered over to a very cold looking Lizzie at Wild Beef for eggs - £3

Then to Gastronomica for a lovely hunk of Pecorino - £10

Coffee from Monmouth - £11.50

Neal's Yard for spaghetti, milk and cream - £9.80 then remembered I'd planned to get some Coolea - £11.23

Then bread for toast from Flour Power - £1.10

Then back out into the snow to get the bus home, I was cold by now and I was well rugged up. Suspect there was a lot of hot coffee drunk by those who were there for the day.

Spent £82.50 but I know I will spend more - it is the time of year!