We are living in strange times - you don't need me to tell you that. Living with fear for the safety of our loved ones, glued to the news channel and despairing at the egocentric behaviour of the minority. On the flip side there are the altruistic acts of kindness, the support for the hard working, risk taking NHS, the singing from balconies and the clapping at our front doors. It sometimes seems like the world has gone mad, the times are crazy and for some, the sense of loss insurmountable.
Taking my weekly visit to the supermarket I took my trolley and stood in a queue, 2 m apart from any other shopper. The banter was good humoured and everyone was courteous, calm and civilised. Some of the shelves were empty; pasta, rice, flour and tinned goods in the main. Bizarrely fresh produce was also well depleted. I am guessing people are batch cooking and freezing. Despite this I managed to find most of the items needed for my family and my elderly parents.
On the positive side, I have had more time to plan meals, making sure not to waste anything and to ring the changes and shake things up a little. Because we are all home for breakfast, lunch and tea it is important to find different ways of serving meals. At home by myself, before all this, I was happy to eat a peanut butter sandwich every day for lunch. Now I switch things around and we enjoy a variety.
More thought goes into making an evening meal with time for planning and preparation. Meals have always been the time we come together as a family but now it happens more regularly. For those working or studying at home it's time for a break, a chat and a distraction before ploughing back into work.
There's something satisfying in using up and wasting not. It's made me reach into the back of my cupboards, to the bottom of the freezer, to the pages in my recipe books and be creative with what I've got. Whatever you're doing, whether vegetarian, vegan, flexitarian or carnivore, enjoy having the time to create, nourish and and most of all, to cherish.
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