Well it’s been a hectic time here with 12 for lunch on Christmas day and many more meals eaten during this very long holiday.

Here in London the Christmas/New Year break is nearly two weeks of eating and ,more exhausting, of food shopping! There are so many places you need to visit to buy the ingredients for the perfect meal:the organic bakery, the fresh fish shop, the farmer’s market the supermarket and the cheese shop. The miles I must have walked and the bags I carried. But everything was safely gathered in eventually and once the turkey was delivered we could all relax understanding at last that we would not go hungry once the shops closed.

Though quite why one needs so many foods you never eat except at Christmas, I’m not sure.

I have tins of shortbread, German biscuits, mountains of chocolates and pints of cream. All balanced I hope by a couple of kilos of sprouts.

My new kitchen stood well to this test. It was me rather than the kit that was rusty, looking up recipes for the simplest of things.

It all augers well for a happy and fulfilling year of cooking and trying new ideas.