I’m currently in-between jobs, having just left my last one and taking a short break before I start my new one. I left the office for the last time last Friday, looking forward to being a lady of leisure for a few weeks. I had lots of plans for this week: long lunches with my girlfriends; a day out with my Mum; lots of cooking, writing and blogging. And what happens? I catch the cough and cold Rob has had. Bleugh.
It has to be said: I’m not a good patient when it comes to colds. The term ‘man-flu’ comes to mind. Luckily for me Rob’s a very good nurse; fetching me drinks and paracetamol uncomplainingly as I peer out from under my blanket on the sofa, snivelling and coughing pathetically. I struck gold with my husband.
The old adage says you need to feed a cold (and I’m certainly not one to argue with that) and so there’s been lots of comforting and healing food coming out of our kitchen pharmacy this week. Early on I made a leek and potato soup one night and then a pot roast chicken with lots of golden chicken broth another. That huge feat (!) just about drained me of any energy I had left so the next day I declared myself unfit to cook and whimpered to Rob “would you mind cooking tonight?”. He rose to the challenge magnificently and cooked spaghetti bolognese, following my recipe, which I was rather pleased about. And tonight he’s busy making sausage and mash with onion gravy. I think I can manage a modest portion.
Talking of sausage and mash, on my last day at work I lunched with a couple of colleagues at a nearby pub and that was the exact dish I chose. This got us talking about the secret of good mash (is it hot milk, a potato ricer, a wooden spoon?) and then one of my colleagues uttered the magic words: cheesy mash. Well, that was it – immediately I got a craving for some and I just knew I would have to go home and make some over the weekend. And that’s exactly what I did.
I just make the mash in the usual way (I do use a potato ricer by the way – genius invention) and then grate in lots and lots of mature cheddar cheese. My colleague, however, said he likes to grate over more cheese at the end and then put it under the grill and I have to say that sounds bloody fantastic.
Right, that’s me done for now, I’m going back to my blanket, my tissues and my man-flu.
