MEAT

In 1980 Elizabeth David wrote a delightfully perverse and typically judicious article called 'The Besprinkling of a Rosemary Branch'. She finds it an overbearingly fragrant and frankly undeservedly ubiquitous herb.

There's not much better to do with the remains of a Sunday roast lamb than to mince it up for a moussaka. The cooled lamb fat recooked into the shivering slices of aubergine melting with the mountain flavours of thyme and sage recalls the best of Greek home cooking.

It’s easy to dismiss offal.I haven’t got a big repertoire. But I do like kidneys. Mounted on a couple of rounds of toasted brioche on your most beautiful plates, they are fit for a king’s birthday.

This weather urges me to re-stock the larder. After a month of festive eating, I want to load up the kitchen with practical foods that will help us through these dreary months. Duck Confit, Baked Ham, Marmalade.

An unexpected recent encounter was with a vast horseradish plant towering in a corner of the garden. It’s a delicious vegetable if used with caution.