I got a seeded multigrain bloomer loaf from Tesco bakery, which smells and tastes amazing.

Toasted and topped with half an avocado and fried eggs for breakfast this morning.

Two slices of toasted seeded multigrain bloomer bread topped with chopped avocado and two fried eggs on a white plate patterned with navy blue swirls on a lime green tablecloth with white polka dots.

My pizza waiting to go in the oven. Kids' and wife’s pizzas are in there at the moment.

A homemade pizza topped with vegetables and cheese is placed on a baking tray with a

Little kid’s pizza slightly overheated.

Two freshly baked cheese pizzas are cooling on round trays on a stovetop.

Had some crispy taco shells with lettuce, some chopped avocado, cucumber, red pepper and onion, and sour cream with the chilli sans carne.

Chilli was HOT!

Two tacos filled with lettuce, avocado, cucumber, and red bell pepper sit on a plate next to a serving of chilli sans carne topped with cheese.

Main course for me. Comfort food from childhood.

Boiled gammon, mashed potatoes, carrots and white sauce.

My Gran and my Mum used the make this. Carrots boiled with the bacon joint. Sweet as!

A bowl filled with mashed potatoes, cabbage, sliced meat topped with a creamy sauce, and a side of roasted vegetables.

I made a Snowman out of mashed potatoes, with sausage arms, carrot nose, onion mouth, cabbage scarf, roast potato hat and gravy eyes and buttons.

Will little kid eat it?

A snowman-shaped sculpture is made from mashed potatoes with a potato hat, carrot nose, gravy eyes, and meat for arms, served on a plate.

Half a leftover and browning avocado made my fried eggs something special this morning.

Two slices of bread topped with avocado, fried eggs, and herbs on a plate.

The art of a good sandwich

Let’s get something out of the way before we get into the meat, or the filling, of this post. A sandwich is two slices of bread. Buttered.

I don’t want to hear anything about OPEN sandwiches. Open sandwiches are like open marriages. Great if you want someone else to have your other half.

The art of a good sandwich:

  1. Use multiple fillings. Four is a good number.

  2. Less is more. Don’t over egg it.

For example, tonight I cleared out some leftovers and turned them into a great sandwich: two slices of ham, half an avocado (sliced), three cherry tomatoes (quartered), a squirt of mayonnaise, chopped dried chives and three or four spoons of sweet and hot jalapenos out of a jar.

Many times I’ve got halfway through a “classic” cheese and tomato sandwich and thought “it’s too cheesy.” A squirt of mayo and a sprinkling of chives world have saved it. Some of that jalapeno magic would have made it.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not against sandwiches with fewer than four fillings. When I was recovering from Covid, all I could eat was cheese and pickle sandwiches. I like a jam sandwich occasionally. And if it’s a crust, I’ll even eat it in an “open” jam sandwich (or bread and jam as we call it).

Which brings me on to toast. Toast and marmalade is not a sandwich. Cheese on toast is not a sandwich. Avocado toast is not a sandwich. But two rounds of toast with a filling inside IS a toasted sandwich. (See how simple this is?)

Now, with toasted sandwiches I would advocate sticking to one or two fillings. (Melted) cheese is always a winner with the kids. Grown-ups might like to add some chopped ham, onions or mushrooms. My little kid’s current favourite is “honey toast”.

In between Yorkshire and xmas puddings…

A plate is filled with a variety of foods including mashed potatoes, stuffing, brussels sprouts, broccoli, root vegetables, meat, and gravy.

Oops! Forgot to buy Yorkshires and had to make my own (for the first time).

Looks all right!

Home made Yorkshire pudding in a small black bread tin