Last night I had to look on with some jealousy as brother in law Steve cooked supper in an enormous paella pan. The boys had found the pan in a shed down by the side of the house whilst exploring during our first afternoon here. It is about three feet wide and once found it had to be used.

The ingredients were bought in the supermarket that afternoon. Two bags of paella rice, chicken, prawns, clams and mussels, reed peppers, saffron, paprika and onions.

The pan was far too big for the oven and so we decided to balance it on top of the barbeque.

A full bag of charcoal went onto the barbeque and the fire was then stoked up with pieces of dried hard wood. The pan was lifted on to, oil added and the ingredients tipped in.

The barbeque developed a fierce heat the flames from the fire curling up and over the sides of the pan. Steve stood over it shouting instructions for water and stock and pouring it in, spatula in hand, turning over  the rice and vegetables to stop them from burning.

Now we need to try and work out how to wash the thing. Someone suggested the swimming pool as the water is too cold for anyone to be doing much swimming.