9 December - boiled eggs and pie at the lounge

There's something very satisfying about the simplest of meals and today's couple of boiled eggs were no exception ...

Work's suddenly got busy this week and I'm still feeling sniffy and woolly-headed and I just generally couldn't be bothered to think about shopping and dinner, so we just headed out to the Lounge and grabbed some food. I had a great chicken and gammon pie with creamy leeks and chips - tasty and easy and just what was needed, along with a couple of glasses of wine.

1 June - mushroom pasta and kedgeree

With one more portobello mushroom left in the fridge, I couldn't resist baking it again; this time coated in a simple mix of garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and a bit of parsley. I then chopped it up, mixed it with some cream and some lardons and stirred it into some pasta for lunch.

A busy day didn't leave much time for shopping and I nipped into Waitrose feeling completely uninspired about what to cook for dinner, so went for an easy fall-back option of kedgeree.

• Boil enough basmati rice for two (I use a 1/3 measuring cup and fill it twice with rice and three times with water) with some salt and a few cardamom pods.
• Fry a sliced onion in some butter until soft, then stir in a good teaspoon of curry powder. The curry powder I happen to have in the cupboard has a nice flavour but is very mild, so I add a pinch of chilli powder too.
• Add a small bag of spinach and let it wilt down.
• Tip in the cooked rice and stir it until coated and yellow - you need a low-ish heat at this point to stop it sticking.
• Flake in some hot-smoked mackerel fillets, stir in, then add a squeeze of lemon juice.
• Serve with boiled eggs and a scattering of parsley.

I used to cook this with Sainsbury's Taste the Difference smoked mackerel which was absolutely delicious, but sadly, they don't seem to do it anymore. It's never been quite the same with any other brands, but still makes an easy, tasty supper.

11 May - with chives

I've got some fantastic chives growing out on the terrace, so today it was potato salad for lunch, just to make use of them! I made it with creme fraiche instead of mayo, just to be healthy, which was a bit uninspiring, but the chives made up for it. With some beetroot and egg salad to go with it.

Dinner was 'student pasta' - onion, pepper, courgette, some bacon bits and a tin of tomatoes all cooked up and served with pasta - more-or-less exactly the recipe I lived on as a student and still just as tasty.

12 April - a lunchtime salad & cod for tea

The recent warm sunny weather is definitely on the wane, but it was still feeling summery enough to merit a salad for lunch - a big plate of nicoise-style salad (new pots, green beans, cherry tomatoes and a boiled egg), plus the rest of yesterday's parma ham on the side. The sun came out just at the right moment to snatch a quick sunny photo on the terrace, but then a cloud came over and it was back inside to eat.

Dinner was cod wrapped in pancetta and baked in the oven (about 15 mins) with the rest of the asparagus in a risotto. I'm not quite convinced about risotto as a side dish, but not bad.