Culinary excellence

Carl's mum went in to hospital yesterday for a few days. "Is it okay if Dublin Shooter comes over for a meal while I have the house to myself?" "But of course, DS is welcome any time."

So over I went. Carl and I differ in our approach to cooking. I'm a slave to a recipe, carefully measuring every ingredient and following the instructions to the letter. Only very rarely would I go off piste. Carl, on the other hand, is much more adventurous. Tonight's meal was a case in point. When it came to the sauce to accompany our dish of chicken with blanched carrots and aubergine, he decided a large wedge of lemon was called for which wasn't in the recipe. He was right. It lifted the sauce onto a different level altogether.

It was a lovely meal. The sauce especially.