Ever since I (literally) went bankrupt, and didn’t know quite know where the next meals were coming from for a while, I’ve been almost obsessive about keeping cupboards and freezers full. We could live for at least two months, probably longer, with what I have stocked away.

Which meant that this morning, when it is so bloody cold in here, I could decant some crumpets from the freezer for breakfast; we have just consumed them, and they were most excellent.

And I had a rummage in the veg drawer – 10 minutes with the veg brush and the Magimix, and a pan of chicken and barley is on the stove for lunch. The chicken stock was in a pan already, waiting to go away for soup for *next* week. The carrots, leek and courgette were swiftly pulverised, saute’d down for 10 minutes in some oil, then lobbed in the soup vat with the stock and some barley from the pulse cupboard. A bit of shredded chicken from the breast left from last Sunday’s dinner was bunged in too. There will be soooop for lunch.