Philip (Phil) England

  Chicken Cottage Pie First of all chop two small onions and gently fry until semi translucent, in to that add some garlic (granules or minced or chopped - your choice) along with a little pepper and salt, then add your minced chicken (you can use turkey if you want).  Gently fry until the mince has cooked through, then add a small tin of sweetcorn and about half an egg cup full of light soy sauce. Mix through and then put the mixture in to a casserole dish. Now for the mashed potatoes, you can do this from scratch or buy ready mashed. You can use sweet potatoes or ordinary potatoes if you wish, in to the mash add some soft cheese, I used garlic and herb, mix this through the mash and spoon on top of the mince. Cook in the oven for and hour or so on gas mark 7, or equivalent. Serve with peas or maybe peas and carrots mixed. Let me know what you think of this dish.

THE FEAR OF CHRISTMAS Christmas comes but once a year...., thank goodness for that! Ever since my Mum passed away, and a number of friends including Huw from Cardiff, John from Bridgend, and a few others; the magic has vanished from what is supposed to be a joyous time of the year. For a number of years now I've had something to look forward too, dog and house sitting down in Wallington in Surrey. This year however its not happening. A trip to the big city seems to have become a big part of making Christmas something. So what am I embarking on?, a trip to London for a few days, taking one of my friends with me so we can explore. A Christmas at home means I will need to attempt some kind of festive meal.  My roast potatoes leave a lot to be desired I have to say. For the past few weeks, I have been trying to perfect my roast potatoes, I think I am close. Here's the method! Part boil with onion in a pan.  Heat up the roasting tin with oil and some garlic. Drain the potatoes and b