Hurrah! I’m off to the Lake District for a few days break tomorrow. I hope to get some walking in, and eat some good food and drink some good beer.

It won’t be a real holiday though: I have to take my notebook as I’ve got work to do… Something for the rainy days maybe. There will be no internet access though, so I’ll be pretty cut off

Now, talking of good food, I’ve discovered a great new dish that you can make quite easily, and it’s not too much bother even when you’re just cooknig for one. Dan, if you’re reading this, you may know what it is called. I think it’s a casserole, and you make it like this:

1. Lightly fry a chicken breast on both sides, and pop it in a pyrex dish (one of those with a lid - I think they are called casserole dishes)
2. While the chicken is frying, you can peel some potatoes and prepare whatever else you like. Tonight I’ve had potatoes, a big carrot, a courgette, a small swede, a leek, and an onion. (Sometimes I add small tomatoes too.)
3. As I said above, pop the chicken in the dish, and add all the vegetables. When the frying pan has cooled down I rinse it round with hot water from the kettle, and poor it into the glass dish.
4. Add more water to the dish. You don’t need to cover everything in water as the lid stops it from burning. I add a bit of salt and ground pepper too.
5. Now bung it in the oven, and leave for an hour or so. I’m not sure what the best temperature is, and my oven has a dodgy gauge, but I leave it in at around gas mark 6.

If you try it out, let me know what you think. I reckon it’s got to be good for you too, with all those vegetables in it!