13 December - squash salad and the Pump House

Last night, I roasted the whole squash, but only used half in the risotto. I also roasted some beetroot while the oven was on. So lunch today was squash and beetroot salad with a couple of slices of parma ham and few new potatoes. Great colours on the plate and really tasty too.

This evening, my creative writing group met up for meal at the Pump House. I went for hake - on the principle of choosing something I wouldn't cook at home. I wasn't totally convinced about it as a fish - a little bit chewy and not very flavoursome - but it came with a big pile of chard, smooth mash and creamy white beans, which made it still a very good meal. After we'd eaten, we read out our "homework" based around the theme of an office Christmas party. My piece was entitled "sprouts"!

12 December - leek and parsnip soup and squash risotto

I was going to make leek and potato soup for lunch, but then I found a parsnip at the bottom of the fridge, so decided to substitute it for the potato. The resulting leek and parsnip soup wasn't bad, but it was a bit too thick and rather like semolina again!

I've had a beautiful bluey-green crown prince squash that came in the vegbox weeks ago sitting on the windowsill looking decorative (they last for ages!) and finally cooked it up this evening. I made squash risotto based on a Jamie Oliver recipe where you roast the squash with a spice rub (salt, chilli and cinnamon), then add it in chunks to a basic risotto. Today, I stirred in a bit of soft goats cheese at the end and topped it with crispy sage leaves - always good.