Recipes? I tend to play fast and loose with them but it is still worth reading them for ideas. One of today’s pickings from a library visit was Ainsley Harriot’s 100 Meals in Minutes. I didn’t have all the root vegetables he roasted alongside butternut squash but I did have the lemon he mentioned. In the past, I have been influenced by a Jamie Oliver recipe and tend to cook up butternut squash with cinnamon and chilli but tonight I tried Ainsley’s idea.

It proved to be a good call, providing a surprising sweetness alongside the squash (Ainsley), carrot (Ainsley), potato (me) and green pepper (me) I chopped and roasted. Oh, and the kale leaves spread on the top part way through (another of my innovations) turned out okay. They ended up pretty dry and crispy but with a hint of the kale flavour and a good textural contrast with the soft roasted vegetables.

In my (as yet unwritten) book, that is the best kind of recipe of all — the ones that inspire you to produce good food.