If in doubt cook

or make soup has always been my motto...2 banana and maple syrup loaves lovingly prepared for Minor Mayhem and the office...always a thereputic exercise and method of winning friends and influencing ;-) plus a large pan of roasted red pepper & sweet potato soup to sustain the Frosty family.

Pleased to see that my upbringing is rubbing off on the kids. The starving student has recently been known to ring me from the supermarket, provide me with a potential list of heavily discounted foodstuffs and ask for a suitable recipe á la 'Ready Steady Cook"...nothing like being put on the spot.

Minor Mayhem shows a keen interest in food mostly on the consumption side but occasionally assisting in the kitchen particularly if the opportunity to lick out bowls is on offer. However to my chagrin he is obviously a second generation Northerner as can be seen from his choice of ingredients for the savoury scones he is baking at school tomorrow....ham, cheese and sun-dried tomatoes. Don't know if you have read it, but Stuart Marconie's book 'Pies & Prejudice' starts with him remarking that he knew he had crossed the north/south divide when he had the sundried tomatoes and a cappuccino maker in his kitchen!