I include in this category self-taught dishes that work at any time of year, honed over the years to satisfy my foodie husband and greedy self. As I happen to be vain as well as greedy, they are mainly given a nod to good health with plenty of vegetables and fresh herbs. Rice is of the wholemeal basmati variety (I genuinely think it's nicer than white), though I nearly always go for wholemeal/seeded/sourdough bread.

I don't bang on about calories as I can't be sure how many there are in anything I cook, but I use common sense (and do read the calorie content on Pret sandwiches and menus when available). I jumped on the spiralizer bandwagon in - I think - 2015 and let's just say that whoever thought that watery 'courgetti' were an adequate substitute for glorious spaghetti cared a little too much about skinniness and not enough about pleasure. I tried for a few months, believe me I did, but in the end life's too short. 

A bowl of pasta once in a while isn't going to kill you, but as an occasional treat it's fine

Kedgeree

Make like a corpulent Edwardian gentleman with this Anglo-Indian classic. The smoothly opalescent flakes of fish nestle happily in fragrant, mildly spiced rice.  The inauthentic addition of flat leaf parsley lends a lightness and vibrancy that wouldn't have gone amiss in days of yore. Indeed, our illustrious forebears might have desisted from disembowelling  prostitutes, buggering natives and wearing spats had they been introduced to the wonders of fresh green herbs.

Chilli con Carne

Staple of 'soccer moms' in republican states with scary religious views on abortion and bizarrely skinny children despite feeding them pure sugar for breakfast since birth, but don't let that put you off. I'm sure my version would be looked on with horror by chilli purists (they're bound to exist somewhere) but it's utterly delicious. A word of warning: it takes time, so don''t attempt if you're hungry/in a hurry.

Skill Three

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