Food to get and I think I am ahead of myself!
The one thing I don't complain about is cooking Christmas lunch. I prepare as much as I possibly can the day before so that I have time to spend with family. I enjoy the buzz, the good smells and the whole thing coming together
If you cook regularly for your family, the Christmas meal in itself is just a bigger version with a little more attention to timing.
This reminds me of the conversation I had last week at a Christmas party. A man probably in his mid 70s was telling me how his wife had sadly passed away 3 years ago. He said at first he relied on ready meals and support from his daughters. Even though he was managing he longed for wholesome meals his wife used to cook.
So he said he gave himself a "good talking to " and said to himself that it can't be so difficult and why not learn. He then expanded on how to cook a chicken and to get crispy skin. I hadn't the heart to stop him as he was obviously pleased with his achievement. He then went on to the subject of casseroles and described in some considerable detail the pros and cons of embarking on these dishes. One of the successes was his new slow cooker which he said was excellent and only used the energy of a small light bulb! He was so positive and clearly enjoyed spreading the word on how easy it was to produce a tasty and economic meal. He said he had attended 3/4 short courses with Waitrose which surprised me as I didn't think they provided lessons. I didn't have a chance to ask him more about them as he had quickly moved on ....not only had he embarked on acquiring cooking skills he additionally had taken up tennis and joined a local club and he found that "he wasn't bad" and could keep up with many who were much younger than himself.
I was left feeling exhausted after this chat but also full of admiration for someone of his years who was looking for the positives and enjoying himself, still learning and also making new friends.
...........back to the wrapping...................
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