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

Chick pea, butternut and tahini salad

Saturday night the lovely David and his friend Michael are coming over for a little tapas chez nous - definitely including padron peppers, potato tortilla, chorizo had the peppers but with saffron potatoes, lamb and bulghur balls, chick pea and butternut salad, blood orange and feta salad and parsnip and date salad - think when I was planning I was imagining a tapas menu and tiny plates of food so may have slightly over catered...- and other stuff... Sunday may be an easy day, roast chicken perhaps it was easy but in the form of out for lunch and lots of lovely leftovers for supper. Monday I'm out so will need a little treat for the man steak 'n' kidney pie, Tuesday the turnip risotto we didn't have last week actually leek and bacon pasta, Wednesday the chilli from the freezer, Thursday Chinese a seriously good wild mushroom and hock risotto, and Friday probably sausage sandwiches spinach omelette and lentil salad...

At the Ginger Pig I spent almost no money. Really. I bought some minced lamb for balls, some smoked bacon ends for pasta and pork steaks for the freezer for spanish rice dish another time and it cost £8.35

Then at Booths I bought Padron peppers, pink fir apple potatoes, aubergine, endive, celery, red onions, parnips all for Saturday night and Sunday, courgettes, tomatoes with some peppers for roasted vegetables for a lunch for friends Monday at work, blood oranges and leeks pasta for £18

At Brindisa I bought a tub of spiced lardon because the woman was cubing it at the time and it looked amazing thought I was making a rice dish but didn't so it's in the freezer as well as a pack of chorizo thought I was making hot grilled chorizo but didn't so another treat for the freezer and a couple of large dried peppers for the rice but they will keep - £8.35

From Lizzie at Wild Beef I bought eggs omelette Friday night and porridge oats breakfast for £3.50

At Gastronomica I bought Parmesan some in the risotto, some on the pasta and some still in the fridge for £4

At Monmouth I bought coffee for £8.50

A medium tub of big fat juicy green olives Saturday supper from the Good Olive stall - £3.50

At Mrs Elizabeth Kings I bought a pork pie Satruday lunch - £5

Back at Ginger Pig I bought a scotch egg breakfast snack and a steak and kidney pie for the Man on Monday for £7.50

From Tony's veg stall I bought peppers that I roasted for lunch Monday for £3

At Neals Yard I bought milk and a couple of baguettes one with supper Saturday and one in the freezer till Friday for garlic bread - £7.60

Flour Power sold me two cottage loaves for weekend toast and then toast Monday night for me after class for £2

And there was a packet of chocolates still in the fridge but will take them to work Monday to cheer up those left behind from Artisan du Chocolat - £2

There was also a charming young French woman selling various sweet treats, the best of which was undoubtedly the tart pruneau which we gobbled Saturday night - £5.50

So, after starting so well I ended up spending a grand total of £87.65


And then I spent some more - buying spinach, parsley, coriander, mint, a pomegranet and butter.


A hundred quid this week - and two dinners from the freezer. Will try harder...