happyanddandy

Michelle you cannot be old enough!!

Aunt Bessie's mash also appears in Delia's new book - does it taste like 'Smash' of old?

I glimpsed Delia's new book today and a few of the recipes called for frozen chopped onions!!! It never occured to me there was such a thing!

No - but will look out for it - my son has 'Real Food, Real Fast' which appealed to him and he really likes cooking aged 15 - thanks for the tip

That's unusual Nici - can't help you I'm afraid - is Beef about?

My 13 year old is reading very little at the moment. The only thing that has kePt her attention is 'The Diary of a Chav' series by Grace Dent and the one you were reading about 10 days ago 'Size 12 isn't Fat' or some such title. And that's about it!!

Thanks Gyre - I only got a few chapters into 'Domestic Goddess' and gave up. I did enjoy 'Shopaholics' though

Roast chicken - and mine was able to run around for a while too but not organically

Finished 'Rumours of a Hurrcane' by Tim Lott. Now have a choice between a library book 'Temptation' by Douglas Kennedy or Amanda Brookfield's latest - I suppose it will have to be the library book. Will decide after dinner.

What an extraordinarily good read. Tim Lott takes us through the reign of Maggie Thatcher via the Buck family. It begins with the demise of one of the main characters so that all the way through the book you know it is going to end badly. As someone who never peeks at the back page I found that disturbing. I wonder if the author wants us to feel despondent about the Thatcher years before we even start reading the story proper? Charlie Buck is a printing press compositor, a union man living in a city council flat. Maureen is a meek housewife without dreams. A picture of ordinariness, their lives then change dramatically over 11 years of the iron lady's reign reflecting her policies of challenging the unions, selling off council properties and 'yuppification'. What a riveting read. Takes you right back to the 80's with a bump. Unusual in that you know ultimately what is going to happen in the end. Highly recommend this one.

Angel - that sounds horrendous - poor you

I have the book here - daughter has read - not me yet - she liked it!

Ham, double egg and chips with pickled onions and ketchup

The book I am currently reading is also about a family and what happened to them during the Thatcher years. It 's really well written called 'Rumours of a Hurricane' by Tim Lott. I have a hunch that 'What a Carve Up' is on my book shelves somewhere

I will be going for a second time very soon

what happens when you go on holiday beef? Do you have to get someone to look after them?

I am a knitter! My current avatar is a fairly recently completed knitted throw using Japanese wool called Noro which is pretty popular amongst knitters right now

lol Karen - I have a book due back tomorrow and I know I will have the same problem

A quickly put together lamb stew with mash which was really tasty - all that lamb fat from the neck fillet ! Pat on the back for me! Virtuous strawberries and grapes for pud with..... cream ha ha!

Well I had a wrap too! I bought a Tesco Healthy Options low fat thingy chicken and some tomato goo and I had Weight Watchers low fat cheesy wotsits with it. And guess what? No fat or low fat meant I was starving by 4pm so I had a toffee chocolate biscuit thing with a cup of tea

I didn't succeed either!! Ice Cream - do they have Storytime at your library? I used to take my children to storytime at the library for under 5s - they were both engrossed in amongst all the other kids wandering around making noise and stuff

This happened to me very recently - I bought a new copy of 'The White Family' by Maggie Gee - a few pages in I realised I had read it a couple of years ago!! A waste of my BOGOF

I am enjoying this too - when they are tasting the food I am eating it with them!!

OH is currently engrossed too!!

Finished 'Marshmallows for Breakfast' by Dorothy Koomson. Better second book from this author - nearly put of completely by the first. The story is about a mature woman who leaves Australia in a hurry and rents a flat from a man with children having problems. Needless to say a relationship develops although not the obvious one. And that is what makes to the story a good one. The ending is not obvious either. It's about people, relationships and angst in good measure if that's what you like.