Jam

Equal weights - no more than 500g - of fruit and granulated sugar. This time of year, frozen fruit is the cheapest option - strawberries, raspberries, fruit of the forest, whatever.
2 tbs liquid pectin

Put everything in a very large saucepan. If frozen fruit is being used, let it sit and thaw a bit. Wash a couple of jam jars, rinse, and put in a very low oven (on warm) to dry and sterilise. Put a plate in the deep freeze.

Heat fruit and sugar very gently, stirring all the time. When the sugar has melted, turn up the heat and bring to the boil. Boil vigorously for about 5-6 minutes until it starts to thicken and set. Drip a couple of drops on the cold plate to see whether it's set, and if it has, turn off the heat. Pot and cover.


Food diary for Sunday 30 January

Early Tea

Breakfast: 1 slice toast spread 1/2 slice Blackberry jelly (bought), 1/2 slice butter; coffee.

After Church: Slice Edam cheese; more coffee

Lunch: Broccoli and Stilton soup; cheese and pickle sandwich. Mini-lolly.

Supper: Salmon with stir-fried vegetables and noodles; Tesco's Finest blueberry almond tart; glass white wine.

Later: Red bush tea.

Spicy sausage pasta bake

I had such a cold that I really fancied something spicy and oniony for supper, and there were some mini-sausages from Lidl that wanted eating, so....

1/2 pack Lidl mini sausages
1 leek
1 large onion
1-2 cloves garlic
1 chilli pepper
1/2 head broccoli
1 tin tomatoes
1 tsp flour
1 tbs cooking oil (I used Tesco stir-fry oil)
100 g pasta (I used tricolour wheels, which I happened to have in the cupboard, but whatevs....)
Seasoning, including a little chilli sauce
About 60 g (well, probably rather more than that, but that's what it's meant to be!) grated Cheddar cheese.

Cook the sausages under the grill, then chop into small pieces. Cook the pasta and steam the broccoli. Chop leek, onion, garlic and chilli, and put in saucepan with cooking oil, allow to cook for awhile, stirring frequently and watch that it doesn't burn.

Put the flour, tomatoes and seasoning in a blender goblet and work until smooth. Pour on to the vegetables and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Now mix in up to 1/2 the cheese, the pasta and the broccoli, and pour into an oven-proof dish. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, and then bake at Mark 5 for 30 minutes.

In hindsight, it might have been better to have cooked the broccoli separately and served it as a vegetable, but it was a lot easier to just shove it all in together so I could watch skating while it cooked!

Friday's food diary:

Early: Tea

Breakfast: Egg and tomato sandwich with wholemeal bread. Slice Edam.

Lunch: Glass multivitamin juice; toasted ham and cheese sandwich with pickle and a scrap of butter. 1/2 portion frozen yoghurt.

Snack: "Pickers" while cooking supper; 1 slice wholemeal bread and goats' cheese.

Supper: Spicy sausage pasta bake; Lidl caramel panna cotta; small Calvados

Later: Tilleul infusion.

Fish Pie

I make fish pie differently every time I make it, which isn't often enough. Last night's was very delicious and went like this:

1 sachet parsley sauce mix
300 ml semi-skimmed milk
2 skinless and boneless coley fillets
Frozen peas and broad beans (didn't measure, but just a "nice amount")
Left-over mashed potato (probably 1 serving!)
1 tin cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
A little Cheddar cheese, grated

Make up parsley sauce according to the instructions on the packet. Add the frozen vegetables and the fish, which you have allowed to thaw just enough to be able to cut into cubes. Bring back to the boil. Season - just salt and pepper, it doesn't want much more, and place in oven-proof dish.

Purée the cannellini beans in a food processor, then mix with the mashed potatoes. This lowers the overall GI of the dish and makes it more sustaining. Spread this mix on top of the fish, sprinkle with grated cheese, if liked, and cook at Mark 5 for about 30 minutes. Serve with a green vegetable.

Food diary for Thursday 27 January:

Early: Earl Grey tea, no milk or sugar.

Breakfast: 2 slices toast with peanut butter, banana and just a sprinkle of sugar. Slice Edam.

Lunch: Cornish Pasty with baked beans; 1/2 "diet" frozen yoghurt (delicious, and Lidl hasn't had them for simply ages - but the helpings are huge!).

Snack: Wholemeal crust with soft cheese

Supper: Fish pie and Brussels sprouts; profiteroles (tub of, from Lidl).

Later: Red bush tea.

A little over 1 litre water. No exercise except for popping round Lidl.

Coldy Wednesday

Yesterday I had a rotten cold and spent the day curled up on the sofa in pyjamas; still sniffy and blowy today, but feeling a great deal better. So yesterday was all about comfort food (and the European championships, of course!).

On waking: Tea

Breakfast: Grapefruit. Bread and cheese. Slice Edam.

Lunch: Instant noodles with an egg and tinned peas (total and utter comfort food!); smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich.

Snack: Mini-lolly; a few nuts; slice of cheese.

Supper: Chicken and cashew nuts with rice (from take-away); stewed apple and blackberry with natural yoghurt.

Only about 1 litre water. No exercise.