pumpkinstrokemarrow

Beef turned out very well - as good as anything I remember. Three ribs, 9.5 pounds, tied up and skewered a bit bit to stop it losing shape during the cooking which last for 2.5 hours at 180C - and done to a turn (whatever that phrase might mean). Brown on the outside and pink and damp on the inside. More or less the whole thing done by six people in one sitting. Cooking tip: don't let the butcher do any of this chining lark or bone removal. Carving is not a problem with the rib entire and rib entire holds shape much better.

Accompanied by bean pudding (seven days old - served as gravy. A few years ago used to go to a great deal of bother to make gravy on these occasions but seem to have lost the urge), spinach, brussel sprouts, swede and small red potatoes with their skins on. Small being the best we could do this year with the thin ground and the hosepipe ban. But they are not exploding as they have done in previous years and cooked in their skins have an excellent flavour. Fingers do get very sticky peeling the things at the table.

The whole preceeded by something prawny in avocado (prawns unusally fishy and flavourful for frozen Sainsbury) and succeeded by an apple meringue pudding from a South African recipe book. Altogether most successful.

Left over potatoes, green vegetables and dripping made an excellent bubble and squeak the following day.

Have still failed to grasp the waiting paint brush. Yesterday's and today's excuse being the urgent need to do a bit of concreting to patch two of the drain cover surrounds in the drive. Only a couple of buckets full but the first concreting for years and very satisfying. The concrete from B&Q was just the DIY ticket - a 20K bag with 1cm limestone chippings by way of aggregate. Ideal for patching jobs where one wants something better than mortar but have not got the space for proper concrete.