Its very easy to get into the habit of saying to yourself, ‘its just for me!’, when you cooking just for yourself. However I believe that eating a home cooked meal should be a pleasure even if alone and something to look forward to at the end of a busy day, and well let me tell you my days are definitely busy!

I do however have some tips: try to plan a menu to make sure you get a balanced diet to include fresh fruit and vegetables goes without saying really. Buy your food little and often to ensure freshness and avoid bargain offers of family sized packs unless of cause you can freeze it. You can however cook a recipe for 4 and then plate this and freeze for you to use when your tied or need something in a hurry.

Now check out my previous blogs on microwave as cooking for one its cheaper and more convenient, more energy efficient and less time consuming so make sure you consider this means of cooking. Look at my blog Microwave magic,  microwave combo this is a fantastic peice of kitchen equipment.

One of my favourite recipe for cooking just for me is Red mullet wrapped in parma ham, I love red mullet.

You will need: 225g approx of red mullet, 1 slice of onion, 1 slice of lemon, 1 bay leaf, few sprigs of thyme, sea salt and ground black pepper for seasoning, 2 tablsp olive oil, 25g thinly sliced parma ham and 1 tblsp dry white wine. (Sorry I love my Italian, don’t you great wine, food and lots more, delicious!)

Clean the mullet and rinse under a cold tap, scrapping with a knive to remove the scales, before triming the tail and fins then pat dry with kitchen towel. Of course your fish monger can do this and prepare it for you if you ask nicely. Fill the cavity with the slices of onion and lemon and a few sprigs of the thyme and seaon lightly. Then brush the fish with the oil and wrap in the ham. Place onto a microwaveable plate and pour over the wine and add some more thyme to flavour to your taste. Now cover and microwave for 6-7 minutes until the fish is cooked and serve with fresh seasonal vegetables or a crisp salad. One more thing make sure you set the table and sit and eat as you would with guests, relax put on that light music and grab yourself a great glass of wine to enjoy your beautifully cooked meal with. Enjoy!

Check out my mango and orange oaty crunch for a great quick dessert to go with this in my next blog.

It was lovely to hear from Heather whose been collecting my recipes and making a booklet with her favourite recipes, having found her passion for home cooking again, well done Heather enjoy your cooking & eating your creations too of course!