It’s fair to say that November and December 2015 were a bit of a struggle following Rocket’s recent accident in India, but a new year beckons and we are not down hearted, it could have been an awful lot worse and he is at least on the mend now.

The food season has changed, the tide has already turned from richly abundant to the austerity of January but just before that happens…we have been reliving some of the best bits via the medium of left overs. I’m beginning to think that our family deliberately over cater so that we can enjoy the best morsels again afterwards. A real pleasure for me is a rich fruit cake with very mature cheddar cheese and here are a pair of stunners. The fruit cake, rich with nuts, booze and fruit was lovingly made by our young Delia and her unwilling accomplice (my cousin Louie). I’ve paired it with a crumbly and very fine Cheddar from Wookey Hole that had formed part of a fabulous cheeseboard put together by my brother and sister-in-law. I love rich fruit cake and cheddar together, a long time hangover from a meal at ‘Rules’ in central London where they serve up a similar thing.

We are resolved to have a healthy but not boring few months and so hope to share some food ideas with everyone to start 2016 well… To all those we love, to those we’ve lost, to those we know and those we don’t, let’s hope it’s a good one…with plenty of cheer.