So many people have told me how much they love this new series – which makes it even more fun to write! It’s been a great week of food, both home and out, but surely the view of the week just has to go to the Duck & Waffle for their stunning views across London from 40 storeys up. As for the rest of the week, this is how it went:

Tuesday – Irresistible Offer

My son Jonathan sent me this photo on Monday evening – he’d been marinating ingredients for Boeuf Bourguignon in red wine for 24 hours and was about to put it in a slow cooker to cook overnight. Did I want to come to dinner the following evening? Well, how could I resist? And it was absolutely gorgeous: a deep rich flavour and meltingly tender beef.

Wednesday – An Old Seafood Favourite

Wednesday evening I made one of my favourite dishes: Linguine with Prawns, Fresh Tomatoes & Chilli Sauce. It’s a classic and it’s wonderful.

Thursday – Almost Salade Niçoise

When I made a Salade Niçoise for the blog back in 2012 (click here), I discovered this classic dish had more variants than I’d ever realised. I wasn’t trying to be classic last Thursday, just using what I had to hand. It was a warm day and I fancied a salad for supper. I had a tin of best quality tuna packed in olive oil in the store cupboard, gorgeous sweet little new potatoes, plenty of salad and organic eggs. I made a classic French dressing with some added mustard to pour over it. It made a great ‘main course’ salad and it was actually warm enough to sit in the garden and enjoy the remaining warmth and sun of the day as I ate it.

Friday – A Trip to South Kensington

I’ve recently joined the Victoria & Albert Museum as a member. I’d booked a members’ only talk on their new exhibition, ‘Undressed – A Short History of Underwear’. The curator of the exhibition explained her objectives and interest in setting up the exhibition, what we’d find in it and why things had been chosen. I often go to curators’ talks or tours as it’s fantastic to hear their enthusiasm for the exhibition they’ve put together and it really enriches the experience of seeing it. Looking at underwear from the 1750s to present day, this exhibition offers great insight into the social background and history of the period. Highly recommended. The talk was at 2.30 so I decided to treat myself to a lunch at Orsini – which is just opposite the museum – first.

I’m so glad my friend Rona introduced me to this great little Italian restaurant – run by a family from Naples – years ago. It’s become a family favourite. I had a classic lasagna and it was excellent.

In the evening, having had a large lunch, I made an Insalata Tricolore for supper, which I ate with slices of a new sourdough loaf from Your Bakery.

Saturday – Restaurant with a View

This was the day of the outing to the Duck & Waffle. Knowing I was eating early, I made a snack lunch of tostadas with tomato and mashed avocado. Simple but exceptionally good.

Sunday – Kew Gardens and A Birthday Lunch

Sunday began with a long walk round a sunny Kew Gardens with Nicola and Rachael. The gardens were looking splendid and we had a great visit.

Then we met Jonathan, Lyndsey and Freddie at Corto Italian Deli for lunch – an early celebration with all the family for my birthday this week, while Nicola and Rachael were in London.

It was fabulous – read all about it here: click here.

Monday – I’m Never Far from Joe’s

They can’t keep me away! Yes I get withdrawal symptoms if I don’t visit my favourite Joe Allen’s regularly. I was meeting my friend Chris who I hadn’t seen for a while. She and I go way way back to book publishing days at Methuen – pre-marriage, pre-kids days. It was great to see her. Co-owner Lawrence Hartley, who I’ve now also known for a few years, knew I was going and had arranged a fizzy treat knowing it’s my birthday this week, so lots of thanks to him and all the fabulous people at Joe’s.