On the crumpet theme

T.B conjured this up in a matter of minutes - following Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall's advice in the newspaper. 'Hugely satisfying to make', he said. It certainly was to eat, all the better I think not to have the option of 'crumpet rings' and therefore simply creating one giant one. Not being able to fit this in the toaster for obvious reasons, it had a little extra time to brown in the pan, before being buttered and spread with syrup. Seriously, what more could you want in an afternoon snack.

Feeling Christmassy

Quick vs. slow

Two ten pound dinners: one bought and made in a bit of a rush, the other at a more leisurely pace.

1. Creamy mackerel pasta

Smoked mackerel fillets, mushrooms and a few leeks were the only ingredients we bought. Cream and grainy mustard we happened to have.

Mash up mackerel in a bowl with a few tablespoons of cream and however much mustard you like. You can always add more later. Leave that while you cook up some mushrooms and leeks (together or separately) and put pasta on to boil. We had

spaghetti but something smaller could be good. When everything is ready, stir the fish in to the hot pasta and add more cream to coat if needs be. Finally add vegetables. Tasty.

2. Cecily's baked pork chops

This is actually going to seem as though all we eat are creamy mustardy meals, but these were about a week apart. C picked up some pork and baked for a while with cream, mustard, thyme, possibly a bit of lemon. We ate it with kale, curly kale, and a new discovery: millet. It is shaped like couscous but with the texture of porridge. Also tasty.