Today I have been cooking a vat of chilli con carne. There is a sixteenth birthday being celebrated in a few days time and the celebrations consist of a dozen lads camping in a field a few miles outside of Chester. They will need some light supervision and sustenance so chilli it will be. If I get it right they could all try and re-enact the campfire scene from Blazing Saddles.

The meat in the chilli is 7 lbs of prime mince from Edges all cooking through with vast quantities of onion, garlic, red pepper, red chilli and tomato. I flavoured it with cumin, paprika and cayenne pepper. I bought myself a good piece of steak whilst I was in Edges although it seems I may have to wait a day or so before I get to eat.

I have also started making some rhubarb schnapps. We have been dilatory with the rhubarb in the garden this year. It has come up faithfully again but we have not done anything with it. Hopefully steeping it in sugar for 24 hours before copvering it with vodka and leaving it in a dark cupboard for a month will make amends.

There is a slight autumnal air in the garden although when the clouds clear and the sun comes out it is hot. I have emptied the potato bag and sorted through the dark earth picking out a couple of dozen pink pototoes. I will have some of those with the steak when I get round to eating it.

In the veg patch odd tomato plants have been popping up. I must have dropped some seeds somewhere along the way. I certainly didn’t plant them. They are heavy with fruit. Hopefully there will be enough sun over the next few weeks to turn them red.