Journal Weds 26th November 2025

Afternoon all. The Christmas decorations are migrating downstairs with some speed. I’ve replaced some worn out batteries in various kitchen twinklies, and added even more to a big plant. The fire is roaring, and we’re an hour into cooking a proper bolognese. With pancetta, wine, and a soffrito (celery, onion, carrots), the real deal. Walking back into the house after a little trip outside to get some rosemary and a bay leaf the house smells amazing, and it’s gloriously toasty warm. I do love this time of year.

I’m trying to resurrect my sourdough starter again, it had hardened into a hockey puck in the fridge, so I’ve cheese grated it into a powder and mixed in warm water and flour. It’s been sat next to the fire in a kilner jar all day and I’m pleased to say we have some bubbles so all is not lost. I shall name him Lazarus. We will work on resurrecting him some more tomorrow.

Updated later…..

Can confirm the spag bol was delicious, although it was actually linguine because it’s just better. Why do we all have a favourite pasta shape, despite it using the same ingredients and tasting exactly the same.?! I have 2 actually. One is an Alsace pasta we can buy here which is kind of an unravelled tortellini shape, a bit like an over ripe woodland mushroom, or the flesh you untwiddle out of a whelk maybe. I don’t bloody know. But anyway, that, or that wide flat pasta with wavy edges. I’ll have to take a picture now because I sound like a mad woman.

Follow me for more riveting content. But genuinely, let me know what your favourite pasta shape is in the comments because I’m genuinely interested. I know not why.

If you want to cook the bolognese recipe, it’s the one Angela Hartnett cooked on Dish for Joe Wilkinson, minus the mushrooms because the husband is a fungi hater. Big thumbs up from both of us. Top tip, buy a decent bottle of red because you’ll have a sizeable amount of the bottle left over to drink with dinner, and you’re not a peasent.

TTFN xx

V x