This week I wanted...I bought...I made

Smoked ham in the distance on Sunday night

Saturday night I'm thinking grilled fish and salad or maybe clams. Clams it was with white beans and sherry for a treat of a supper Sunday we are planning to go for a long walk in the country so roast dinner is probably not a great idea. Thinking ham, cook it Saturday then cold for supper Sunday with eggs and chips too tired to make chips(!) but perfect otherwise but so very tired after 12 miles hiking in the spring sunshine that I collapsed at the table sipping a restorative drink while the man very kindly fried eggs and buttered bread and served it all to me and nice for lunches in the week with potato salad or coleslaw. The weather is trying to be warmer and spring like and though it is twelve degrees and raining today I have not abandoned hope. Monday I want to try a new dahl recipe it was not as nice as I was hoping but definitely better cold later in the week with the ahm for lunch and perhaps a spicy cabbage dish with rice. Tuesday I'm out so may buy the man a pie for a treat. Wednesday my french class returns it was cancelled but the soup was good so we shall have the bean and pasta soup from the freezer. Thursday we are out. Friday something eggy actually might try a open courgette pie.

The merest hint of sunshine after an abysmally wet Friday had the crowds out big time at Borough Market Saturday. Not buyuing much necessarily but in my way! At the Ginger Pig I bought a big piece of smoked gammon which was brilliant Sunday night and lasted the whole week for lunches - £21.30 - then had a chat to Charlie to tell him about the stew beans I made for Food Chain last weekend for which he had supplied the pig tails. It was an interesting dish and one I would make again.

At Elizabeth King's Pork Pie's we bought a steak pie - the next generation are branching out into hot pies and as the man needed his own sustenance for Tuesday this was a great opportunity to try - £3.50

Then to the other side to find Vaheed working on his Borough Olives stall - and a little shocked to be stood all day serving though he did it for years. It was nice to catch up with him - he's funny as ever and though business is a little slow it's holding up. Bought a slightly discounted tin of olive oil for £22.50. Offered £20 for cash but he was having none of it

At Brindisa I bought a jar of cooked white beans which at £3.95 were expensive as well as pale and creamy and very lovely in the clams and the other half of the jar I mixed with chopped parsley and basil oil for lunch Monday

At Booths I bought new and main crop potatoes still there and still fine, new potatoes for salad for lunches cucumber salami salad sarnie Saturday, bananas lunches, rocket with salami in crusty bread for our lunch on Sunday, spring cabbage stir fried with chilli and coconut, new season garlic lovely with clams and sugarsnaps lunchboxes for £8

At Shellseekers I bought clams £7.70 Saturday supper

Then through to Gastronomica for salami - £3

At Neals Yard I bought milk, bread and yoghurt for £10.20

No brownies this week - a small amount of easter egg remains and brownies would be a distraction...

So I spent £80.15 - not sure entirely what prices are going up but food is definitely costing more. Also bought onions, parsley, chillies, black beans - the dried kind rather than the salted kind, red lentils, butter and a jar of home made strawberry jam from a National Trust stall at Leith Tower. Couldn't resist. Nothing was wasted or thrown away and the potatoes should be good next week. Not cheap but definitely pleasurable week.