Happy New Year!

2010 has arrived at last! This Christmas has gone on longer than any other I can remember. Perhaps because I started preparing and cooking for it in November and as wonderful and indulgent as it has been I can't help feeling relieved that it is all over for another year.

Food wise it was a great success. Every cake, biscuit, pie, and other festive offering was gobbled up with delight and I received high praise for my efforts. The only thing that remains are a few slices of Girdlebuster in the freezer which will no doubt disappear before long.

Christmas and New Year's Eve dinners were a triumph and last night's meal was quite possibly the best meal I have ever prepared. Nigella's roast potatoes were a personal high and the pleasure of seeing my families satisfied faces was the best buzz of all.

I have started the year with something new and am presently making my first ever chicken stock from yesterday's carcass which is very exciting. What exactly I am going to do with the stock is yet to be decided but it smells delicious and has inspired me to continue pushing the limits of my abilities in the kitchen.

After adding at least half a stone onto my person over the last month I have however decided that my new lessons must be healthy ones. I think I reached my cake quota for the last decade in about 2004 and am going to try and pace myself for the teenies!

Here's to a healthy, hearty and most importantly happy 2010!