As I left the office this evening I reassured Bill I would be cooking something good with aubergine when I got home. I knew there was a spare one in the house and I thought that I would be able to think up something good to do with it as I made the journey under the Mersey.

It then transpired I would be cooking for two and so by the time I got to the supermarket different thoughts took over and I decided to leave the aubergine for tomorrow. All I needed to buy was some smoked haddock and eggs and I was done (apart from the beer).

At home I peeled four large potatoes and put them on to boil. I then went out into the garden. The cavalo nero has more or less gone to seed but there were still a few green leaves I could pick. I did that, washed them quickly, and cooked them in boiling water for five minutes. Once the potatoes were done they were mashed with butter and milk and I stirred in half a chopped onion, some parsley and the cooked chopped cavolo nero.

Two frying pans went onto the oven and I put a good pat of butter in each of them.

The butter melted. I shaped the too hot mashed potato into thick burger shapes and put them into one pan. The smoked haddock went into the other – skin side down.

With the benefit of hindsight I used too much milk in the mashed potato and the cakes were soft and difficult to turn. I just about managed it without them falling apart.

As the haddock cooked I poured in some white wine and as that started to bubble some double cream. There was some spinach in the fridge and I pushed some of that into the bubbling sauce.

Just before we were ready to eat I poached two eggs and then laid it all out on two plates.

The haddock to one side, sauce on top, potato cakes up on the right and poached egg nestled down to the left.

Very good it was to.