I lost a week in this series and am trying to catch up. It involves a couple of cheats – not about what I ate but because I didn’t take photos so have to use some from earlier posts, but definitely from the same place or same recipes as in the last week! The photo above, taken on Richmond Green last week, shows how summer arrived gloriously for a while. As I write now, it’s like March again – torrential rain, freezing cold and a relentlessly grey sky. I hope by the time I’m writing next week’s post summer will have returned!

Tuesday – A Gardening Back-up

OK, so this is the first cheat. Jonathan & Lyndsey are moving soon and I was called in for my gardening expertise on Tuesday evening. I’m a keen gardener but by no means an expert. But all things are relative and I’ve been enjoying over recent years working with Jonathan in his garden and like his enthusiasm for it and being able to pass on what little knowledge I have. Once we’d finished the job we’d set out to do, he asked if I wanted to stay on for supper and they’d order a Tangawizi takeaway. As I’ve said before, it’s the only place we ever get a takeaway from, and it’s also our favourite local Indian restaurant. I didn’t take a photo but the above is a recent one from our last takeaway!

Wednesday – An Italian Standby

Second cheat! I had to pick Freddie up from nursery late afternoon, straight after my Italian lesson, as Lyndsey was out for the evening. I suggested to Jonathan I took some Bolognese ragù with me so we could eat together in the evening once he was home from work and Freddie was in bed. There’s always ragù in my freezer; I always have a back-up! Including a back-up photo as again, I didn’t take this photo last Wednesday, but back in 2011 when I first posted my ragù recipe!

Thursday – A Touch of Summer

It was a busy day but the sun was shining. Summer had come – if only for a day! After a couple of work meetings near Richmond bridge in the afternoon, I couldn’t resist crossing over to Richmond and going to Gelateria Danieli for ice cream. I chose two flavours in a small cup: Biscuit with Chocolate & Fruits of the Forest Frozen Yoghurt. I sat on a bench on the edge of Richmond Green and enjoyed the view, the afternoon sun and a touch of summer at last.

Back at home I continued the Italian theme with a pasta supper, making a sauce from fresh tomatoes, spinach and roasted pine nuts.

Friday – Fish Day

I love fish and fancied making some fishcakes. I’d also told Lyndsey I’d make some soon and give her some for her freezer. Jonathan’s not a fish eater so sometimes I give portions of fish dishes I make to Lyndsey for her to eat anytime he’s out. I decided on Smoked Haddock Fishcakes. And I made enough so I could also have a couple spare in my freezer for another day!

Saturday – A Trip to Tate Modern

I’d arranged to meet up with my friend Elsa at Tate Modern in the evening – they’re open late on Fridays and Saturdays, until 10pm. We went into the Mona Hatoum exhibition first. Hatoum is an installation artist who settled in London in 1975 after war broke out in Lebanon. I didn’t know her work. It was quite challenging because of its background of war and oppression but the more I saw of it, the more I appreciated it and was glad I’d gone.

Afterwards, we went up to the Tate Modern Restaurant. I hadn’t been for a while but was looking forward to a treat, remembering it as a bit expensive but great food. I was in for a disappointment. It had changed dramatically – new, more ordinary menu; paper tablecloths with pictures for kids to colour in with accompanying crayons in a glass (even though it was evening!) instead of linen tablecloths. I unusually chose a salad – above – but it was pretty much all I fancied from the menu. There was too much quinoa and the vegetables were bland. I left about half of it. See my review from a couple of years ago with my update from last week: click here.

Sunday – A Windy Italian Picnic

The London Italian Language Meetup Group had arranged to have a picnic in Regent’s Park and I was looking forward to going along. We were asked to bring only Italian food and drink so I went via Ruben’s Bakehouse to buy focaccia and Pasticceria Napoletana.

It was fun to see everyone and I stayed for over a couple of hours, but it was quite cold and windy for late May so not a day to stay late into the evening.

Monday – Bank Holiday

Jonathan, Lyndsey & Freddie were coming for a late lunch. It definitely wasn’t barbecue weather! Instead, I made warming moussaka and we had our Greek meal with the Spoon Sweets (click here).

It may have been wintry outside but we managed to bring a little Greek sun into the house with our Greek meal!