Welcome

The recent snow has been a real eye-opener for many of us I expect. How did you cope with it? Did you manage to carry on as normal or were you house-bound for a while? The panicbuying that was reported so widely put me in mind of the mad stockingup that we do for Christmas. The shops are only closed for one day, yet we feel the need to buy in bulk.

We were stuck for a few days, but luckily had more than enough food in the larder to last. I wouldn’t have panicked if we’d run out of milk, we would simply have stopped drinking tea, but as it turned out, we were fine. Freezers of course come into their own at times like this – unless you are unlucky enough to have power cuts, of course – as do store cupboards. Keeping a range of very basic, long-life things in your cupboard means that you need never go short of a meal. For my staples I operate a ‘one on the go, one in reserve’ policy and so could potentially survive for quite a long time if the need arose.

I like the look of snow; opening the curtains to find the world clean and white lifts my spirits, but I do have to admit to being an indoor admirer. Not for me the snowball fights and sledging, I’d rather be in the kitchen making hot chocolate for those mad enough to be out in it.

We have just had what’s called ‘Blue Monday’, supposedly the most depressing day of the year. Christmas is long gone, the weather is gloomy and the days are short. Well there’s not much we can do about that, except re-frame it. The shortest day has passed, the days are getting longer; cold weather is a great opportunity to hunker down and eat simple hearty food, cheap cuts of meat turned into fabulous steaming stews, followed by filling traditional puddings with custard and as for Christmas, well, we have plenty of time to prepare for the next one!

If we get more snow, be prepared. Stock up with the basics now and you need never go short of a meal.

Rachel Graham, Editor