Stew

Getting ready to cook a huge beef stew

Softening onions, carrots, celery and garlic

Added browned shin of beef, anchovies, tomato paste, nutmeg, red wine and beef stock

Four hours later, the previously chewy shin has become meltingly soft and made a rich gravy with the wine and stock

Healthy supper

Peppered mackerel, freshly roasted beetroot, green salad and horseradish creme fraiche

Improvised cocktails

Crushed ice, rum, innocent kids' smoothies, sugar and a little lemon juice

Zucchini

A courgette dip with chilli, garlic and olive oil, and pancetta

Dinner in Wales

Dinner at Amser Da in Llanrwst

Started with a delicate dish of mushrooms in garlic cream in filo pastry

Followed by crusted lamb with a rich gravy

Finished with vanilla ice cream and hot chocolate sauce

More beef

Beef, horseradish and tomato sandwiches

Eaten in the car at Stafford services (northbound) on the M6

Dinner with friends

Roasting the sirloin joint. Smeared with mustard, rosemary and garlic, and roasted for only about 40 minutes with some red onions

Starters were blinis with onuga

Beef was gratifyingly rare

Served with creamed celeriac and leeks

Veg box

Parsnips, carrots, red onions, beetroot, cucumbers, courgettes, red peppers, leeks, cabbage

Also ordered a sirloin joint to roast, and some mackerel fishcakes

Guilty pleasure

Cod and chips

Birthdays dinner

Birthday food at the consistently excellent RSJs in London.

Started with fishcakes, tartare sauce and watercress

Followed by a confit duck leg, with butternut mash, chestnuts and roasted courgettes

Followed by a blueberry and apple crumble with a vanilla ice cream

Crumble

Friends round for dinner

A new crumble recipe - caramalised rhubarb and rum with a hazelnut topping

Mid week dinner

Pizza with tomato salad, mozzarella and lettuce