This Week

The week definitely started with a bang not a whimper. After lunching on salami and rocket sandwiches I spent an engrossing afternoon preparing dinner - effort that paid off with glazed spare ribs, coriander salad and red peppers with preserved eggs to start, followed by red braised pork, bean curd puffs, sea spice aubergine and peppers with black beans served with jasmine rice. It was a pretty sumptuous dinner and not surprisingly we didn't need the melon for dessert - it made a change for breakfast mid week instead.

Sunday we had the remains of the banquet for lunch and then utterly trad supper of roast beef, roast potatoes, steamed carrots and courgettes and very fine it was.

Monday there were smoothies for breakfast, cold roast beef and salad for lunch and spiced cauliflower and stir fried green beans for supper

Tuesday we had smoothied again and cold rice and cauliflower for lunch and a class at Ginger Pig in the evening where we learned to bone a whole chicken and then made chicken kiev(!) - haven't had that for many years. Entertaining and informative as ever the guys then fed us boned chicken stuffed with sage and onion roasted with vegetables and salad - perfect end to the evening

Wednesday we had sliced gaia melon for breakfast, cold roast beef and salad, olives and celery for lunch - the same till the end of the week and for supper we had one of the many delights we'd brought home from class Tuesday - boned drumsticks stuffed with ham and cheese, secured with skewers then made tight with a little corset of string so they roasted without bursting. Brilliant with a big green salad and some hot baguette

Thursday was pork chops roasted with garlic and herbs and some baby plum tomatoes with salad

Friday will be frittata with the last of the new potatoes and cheese and some herbs from the garden

Not much left at the end of the week - the chicken breast went into the freezer, along with stock I made Wednesday night to use the carcasses from the chicken class, one aubergine but it will be okay for early next week and the last of the celery and cucumber but they may well make a crisp salad with the frittata tonight. A tub of yoghurt but there will be smoothies before it expires