Saturday 27th December 2025

I watch a lot of YouTube videos, some on the science behind cooking, and how to improve things.

One was roast potatoes: choosing the right kind, then soaking to remove starch before roasting in duck fat. And for Yorkshire puddings, to use equal volumes of eggs, plain flour, and milk.

This creates a runnier batter than I would have made, but works. But only if you make it the night before, and left it rest in the fridge overnight.

Remix it, and put it in hot fat, and cook of max heat.

Toad-in-the-hole is a Yorkshire Pudding, with sausages or sausage meat in it.

So, with the batter made the previous night, the sausages cooked in the air fryer, then both put in an oval pan which had been in a very hot oven for twenty minutes, then cook for fifteen to twenty minutes, by which time it looked like this.

I wrote a full blog here ten minutes ago, and now its gone.

Bugger.

So, the gym has been closed two days over Christmas, and was only to open seven hours per day from eight, so was either going to be quiet or crazy busy.

After coffee we leave for Whitfield, and in our eagerness to get on a machine, we had to wait in the cold for five minutes wither the other gymrats while staff tried to open the automatic doors.

Once inside, up to the gym and on the bike, so I set up a podcast to listen to, and start pedalling.

Not much to report, the forty minutes went easy, so at nine, we were ready to come home for a brew and breakfast.

Potatoes are peeled and soaked, then I go for a shower and change, ready to start cooking.

The boiled potatoes are put in hot oil, then onto the oven at its highest setting. Vegetables prepped, the batter brought out of the fridge and whisked again.

With half an hour before the potatoes were done, the cooked sausages put into a hot oiled pan with the batter and cooked until the batter rose like mountains.

It was all perfect, including the last of the gravy left from Christmas dinner. So I dish up and it is as good as it looks.

We even had fizz to go with it.

After clearing away and washing up, there's nothing left to do other than take to the sofa and try to follow the five Premier League games on the radio.

Then came Chelsea v Villa, in which Chelsea dominated for 60 minutes but only scored once. Villa made changes and outplayed the hosts in the final third, Watkins scoring twice meaning Villa carry on their winning streak to 11 games.

We round the day watching When Harry Met Sally, as well observed now as it was when filmed.