Normally I cook to please myself. It's a wonderful thing if it also pleases my husband, which it almost always does, but ultimately I plan meals according to what I think would be just utterly and completely cool to do with food. However, although my husband's reactions to what I do with food are usually favorable, my children's reactions are another thing entirely. On the whole, their reactions are problematic. I have tried my utmost to expose them to lots of different foods - and, I hasten to add, the very best in table manners and polite conversation during mealtimes -but, contrary to what the parenting books have promised me, all this exposure and training has done very little to refine their palettes or their ability to sit through a meal in a civilized fashion.

So, I must mark it as a red letter day when I cook something that delights them. I have had a few successes the past week. First, on Sunday, we had a lovely roast lamb. They didn't like the saffron, lemon and redcurrant gravy I served with it, or the lavender jelly which was meant to go on the side, but they polished off the very tender, sweet lamb without a complaint. It was served with garlic roasted potatoes, runner beans, baby carrots, and wilted spinach and beet greens. And for dessert, we had a peach and raspberry pavlova, of which there were no left overs.

The next success was Monday evening: meat loaf. They all love meat loaf. It was served with roast potatoes and fresh corn on the cob, which just made everyone that bit happier. Other vegetables were carrots, spring cabbage and green beans. For dessert was everyone's favorite: Nigella Lawson's chocolate truffle cake, which was polished off no problem.