No! I have not emigrated , nor slipped on the ice but I did get stuck in traffic ( though living in London that is always a possibility)! Actually I telephoned himself the other week simply to say “ I’m stuck in traffic! Where he asked, around the corner was the reply. Our wonderful Mayor had approved road works on three of my surrounding roads, not just any roads but Seriously Main roads, which meant that All of the buses and everything else was diverted! Of course it could have been done between Christmas and New Year, but maybe that was just too obvious!

Moving swiftly on, I read a comment in The Times the other day that amused me greatly. It said ( many thanks Anne Treneman)

My children, who are now adults, do not shock easily except when it comes to the fraught area of food storage. They consult the packaging on all refrigerated items as though God himself had decreed that the cottage cheese went bad two days ago ( perfectly fine, in my opinion). I do not believe in Sell-by dates, which are wildly risk adverse.

Our lodger ( middle child who came for a couple of weeks and stayed for 3 months) declared she would not and could not eat the eggs which I was about to use! ( I solved the issue by blotting out any dates on future products)! Common sense must apply especially given the fact that the UK throws away mountains of food. I blame the Nanny state, it gives Use By dates, or Best Before dates, even things that NEVER go off have dates! which for many today MEANS throw it Away ! What happened to the Sniff test!?

• Over ⅓ of all food produced globally goes to waste.
• The UK throws away around 9.5 million tonnes of food waste in a single year – even though 8.4 million people in the UK are in food poverty.
• Billions of pounds are wasted each year when food is disposed of unnecessarily.

This Christmas was nothing to do with me. We were invited to spend it out of London at our sons, along with daughter in law and our three youngest grandchildren who are still in Awe of Santa! Such a lovely period of their lives.

However, the other half of the family along with the 3 eldest grandchildren came for lunch and Pantomine before the Big Day.

I decided to cook Salmon Kouilibiac (Coulibiac), basically Salmon en Croute, slightly upmarket than that but it is salmon in pastry.It was once the dinner of the Tsars when it was called Kulebyaka, before the French took charged and renamed it! But today, simply calling it Salmon Wellington works as well !

It is very simple to make especially if using shop bought puff pastry or Phyllo pastry which I love to use. It can be made as individual portions or as a side of salmon.

• Side of salmon ( skin removed, ask the fishmonger to do it)
• Packet of prewashed spinach
• 6 hard boiled eggs chopped
• 2 cups of precooked rice ( optional)
• 2 cups of precooked chopped mushrooms ( optional)
• 2cups cooked beetroot chopped ( optional)
• 2 packets of puff pastry or phyllo pastry ( if using phyllo about 4 Oz of butter is also needed)
• Créme fraiche
• Fresh dill fronds
• Salt/pepper/dijon mustard
• Beaten egg to glaze

This can be prepared ahead of time but otherwise:-

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Trim the sides off the salmon, ( keep/freeze for future use)

Season one side with the mustard, salt and pepper.

Cook the spinach, it can be cooked in the bag in a microwave on high for only 3 minutes. Drain and squeeze out much of the moisture.

Roll out the puff pastry ( see below for phyllo), place onto a greased baking tray and then lay the salmon on top, layer on top of this, whatever you are using, but I used spinach and chopped egg. Fold over the pastry as in a parcel, wetting the lower part with some water before pressing down the tops side ( sealed). You can decorate the top of the parcel with pastry leaves or simple cross cuts. Either refrigerate until ready to use or just simply bake in the preheated oven for about 30 mins.

Chop the dill fronds and mix with the créme fraiche to serve on the side. This all goes well with some small new potatoes and maybe salad.

If using the phyllo pastry, you will need about 6/8 sheets, which have been layered with butter, proceed as above finishing with a coating of butter. This parcel can be embellished with some scrunched up phyllo pastry, sat on top of the melted butter, with some more butter drizzled over the top.