Wednesday 1st March

Blimey, St David’s Day already. They will be partying on the streets of Llantwmffat tonight. There is a leek in the kitchen, perhaps I should go and beat an Englishman up with it. You can do some damage with a leek. No, I think I’ll save it for a cheesy pasta dish later in the week.

I’m going to use up some of the controversial minced lamb instead. Some of it goes in the freezer for a later spag bol or something another day – not even I can eat a pound of minced lamb.

I’ve loads of fresh coriander so I chop up far too much and mix in a bowl with some chopped spring onion and garlic, then knead this mixture into the minced lamb. There is still a little too much lamb, so I divide it into two cricket balls and press them out into burgers. They go in the pan on a low-ish heat until I’ve completed the Guardian sudoku, turning once, so that the centre is just about cooked. The burgers are a tight fit for some wholemeal pitta, with ketchup dripping out of the corners. Some sautéed veg rounds things off, with an accidentally over the top dash (actually more of a slosh) of Tabasco which for some reason I can’t taste later on. I wonder if, given my penchant for Tabasco sauce in small quantities, I’ve become immune to its heat…