There are countless recipes for fish stew, but this was my version from last night. It filled the house with a perfect combination of sweet tomato and the sun-drenched aroma of dried herbs to drive off the chill of a wet spring evening.

A large, solid pot, a little heated oil. Two fat leeks and a green pepper, sliced, 2 diced courgette and a couple of large garlic cloves, crushed: soften gently without colouring. When the vegetables are sweetly melting together add a tin of chopped tomatoes and an extra half pint of water, a bay leaf, a little dried thyme, fennel seeds (i was generous), and a few strands of saffron (first moistened in a ladle of the liquid). I would have added a curl of orange peel, if i had had one to hand.

Then peel and slice 4 potatoes into 1cm thick rounds, add to the pot with extra water to fully cover. Simmer until potato is almost cooked, then add fillets of firm, white fish .. maybe some shellfish if you have some to hand. It will take only a couple more minutes on the heat to finish off.

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Today i tackled some *husband* jobs - clearing the shed of broken toys and cobwebs, cutting grass, taking rubbish to the tip. My 8 year old showed me how to empty the grass cuttings from the lawnmower; we made a good team.

Next i shall start with the power tools.