First, a noodle stir-fry with chicken, garlic tofu and vegetables (onions, garlic, mushrooms, green beans, spring onion and baby corn spears). The noodles are Japanese mushroom noodles Jac bought from an asian supermarket. I think she used mushroom soy sauce as well as ordinary soy sauce to flavour the noodles, and before serving, she drizzled a little sesame oil over the top.

Second, a good old favourite: spaghetti bolognaise. Jac made it with beef mince, fresh button mushrooms, capsicum, onions, garlic, fresh tomatoes and carrot (she loves to sneak as many vegies in as she can – she grated the carrot so I wouldn’t find it but I saw the pile of grated carrot before she’d added it to the sauce). She flavoured the sauce with fresh basil and parsley, bouquet garni and red wine. No recipe, she just did whatever she felt like at the time. It turned out just beautiful, rich and tasty. And yeah, I couldn’t find the carrot in the sauce.