26 February - resetting our bodyclocks

The last few times I've flown long-haul, I've tried to avoid jetlag by not eating at all on the journey back, then having whatever the appropriate meal is when I get home. Apparently, it's meant to reset your bodyclock. So after an overnight flight back from Miami, then train to Bristol, we arrived home at lunchtime and had some nice simple soup. It was a bit of a lazy afternoon and we managed to hold out until usual dinnertime for some spaghetti bolognese. We both slept really well and seemed to be more-or-less back to normal the next day, so it looks like the food trick worked.

8 August - smoked haddock fishcakes

Lunch today is rather unoriginally chicken and sweetcorn soup, using much the same recipe as the creamy chicken stew from the other night, but this time without the leeks and with much more stock to make it, well, soupier!

For dinner, we have smoked haddock fishcakes. I simply poach a couple of smoked haddock fillets in milk with a couple of bay leaves, then mix up the flaked fish with some mashed potato and a bit of chopped parsley. I mould the mixture into 'cakes' (two each), dust them in flour and fry them carefully for a few minutes on each side. I make up some sauce from a bit of white wine bubbled with some more parsley, plus a splash of cream and some of the milk that the fish was poached in. It's not spectacular, but a tasty enough supper for a Monday night, with some fresh peas and carrots.