5 years of blogging

So, five years to the day since I uploaded my first blog picture. That's about as long as Twitter has been around - they're probably kicking themselves they didn't start a food blog instead. That micro-messagingwill never take off.

Anyway, a suitably complex, if not photogenic, dish to mark the occasion. Anthony Bourdain's coq au vin. As seen above, this involves cooking pretty much everything separately, and then combining with the strained, reduced cooking liquid at the end. These shallots were poached then sauteed.

The end result was worth the effort. I served it with polenta, and you could taste all the different components perfectly.

Lunch for one

Mozzarella, tomatoes and ripe avocado

Leftovers

Bubble and squeak, cooking slowly so it gets nice and crispy

With the last of the Sunday roast, and plenty of apple sauce

Sunday lunch with friends

Roast loin of pork, cabbage, roast potatoes, carrots and plenty of crackling

Followed by the first rhubarb crumble of the year

Pigeon and sausages

Frying a pair of pigeon breasts

Served with a sweet and sour crabapple dressing and fresh leaves

Followed by a somewhat more traditional sausage and mash

Pancakes!

Pancakes for a quick family lunch after a busy morning of tree planting

Butternut squash risotto

A creamy butternut squash risotto, made with the chicken stock from the weekend's roast

Served with lumps of butternut squash, roasted with sage

Sunday lunch

Roast chicken, potatoes, carrots and broccoli

Beef fillet, moro style

Beef fillet, marinaded in sherry vinegar and paprika, served with rosemary-roasted potatoes and roast potatoes

Paella

A chorizo, pork fillet and spinach paella

Ceviche!

Sea bass, 'cooked' in lime juice, with avocado, tomato, coriander and homemade tortilla chips