Yesterday was the last harvest of the year at Corner Cottage. My Chili plants which had done so well finally gave up during the cold weather and I had to strip them before they froze completely.

Though I have the smallest plot of land it is such a joy to grow anything which you then eat. Still I hope that when the days lengthen, there will be the odd piece of food from the garden

The photo here gives you some idea of how cold it has been this weekend, though no snow as of yet.

On Wednesday I shall begin my countdown to Christmas. Every food writer and celeb chef has written a problem free guide to the festivities so I'm not going to try and re-hash that idea. The period around Christmas should naturally be a stress free time - you shouldn't need some TV personality to tell you how to reduce your stress! If you find the whole idea of cooking a big meal stressful then perhaps you should try eating out this Christmas? Let's get real, if you are cooking for your friends and family, are they really going to complain about the main course being 10 minutes late? If they do, don't invite them next year!