I've forgotten the question... !

But the answer always is a lovely, home cooked, tasty beef and cider casserole!

What should have been a very quiet, short week has turned into a topsy, turvy week that has been more challenging than trying to climb Mount Everest in high heels. I feel like a cocktail that's been shaken wildly and I'm still stirred by the experience. Sometimes 'stuff' happens and what some people don't realise is that their actions hurt people like me. It may be work to them but they should know that I'm so close to my work that I can't fail to get upset by other people's stormy approach to life. And before anyone says 'toughen up' that's just not me. Where I expected a friend, I found a foe. Where I thought I'd hear praise, I heard shouting. Don't get me wrong, I'm pretty tough but I don't like confrontation.

Stuck between an olive and a sharp stick, I walked into Nailsworth in the rain and bought some braising beef and a bottle of "Kopparberg" premium cider with mixed fruit. The sweetness of the cider caramelises the beef and the anchovies, my masterstroke, hide within the gravy so no one knows they're there, only me! My secret ingredient plus chopped chestnuts, garlic, bay leaves, carrots and onions add a richness to the gravy that makes it taste heavenly and marinating all the ingredients at the beginning makes sure that every single morsel is absolutely delicious. Suddenly, the 'stuff' going on in my work life is far less of a bother. And I'm reassured by the fact that in the end.. "Good things come to those who wait?"