Empty Nest Syndrome.

The ice skating rink in Winchester, a stone's throw away from Bert and Holly's new home.

The run up to Christmas has been rather an emotional roller coaster for me this year. I've hated the unseasonably warm weather we've been experiencing, endless grey skies and perpetual rain are hardly conducive to feeling festive. I want to wake up to snow (or at least some Jack frost) let's face it, snow has the power to alter a picture and is a disconnect from reality. Most of us become giddy and childlike when our surroundings are transformed with this magical white powder.

Shopping excursions to my local town have felt spectacularly un festive! Fareham has become like any other archetypal shopping centre, full of commercial outlets staffed by youngsters who are probably on the minimum wage and consequently don't really want to be bothered serving nuisance customers.

Added to which, Bert moved out officially at the weekend and whilst it was an exciting whirlwind of packing and moving, the reality suddenly struck today when I wandered into his room empty of all his belongings. I guess we can never be prepared for the confusing shift of roles, Bert is now master of his own home, I shall no longer know what he will be eating for dinner each night (today is hotchpotch Monday - Bert certainly won't miss that.)  And how often do I get in touch? I don't want to tread on Holly's toes by bombarding him with texts and quite frankly, a few texts are no compensation for not being able to look someone in the eye or give them a hug anyway.

It's not all doom and gloom, I actually felt very festive over the weekend spending time in the beautiful city of Winchester, with its magnificent cathedral, historic architecture, chiming cathedral bells and everywhere adorned with beautiful Christmas lights it felt like I'd been transported into a Dickensian Christmas. The city was heaving with people and the atmosphere was full of bonhomie and festive cheer.

It had been arranged that Bert and Holly would come on Sunday for our mock Christmas day/dinner. Thankfully I had precooked my meat as the celebrations of the night before had left me feeling slightly the worse for wear.

Fortuitously I had watched Nigella Lawson smother a gammon ham in black treacle and slow cook it for 12-24 hours on her Christmas special, I decided to cook a largish joint of pork smothered in maple syrup (one has to adapt recipes to the ingredients on hand) and it worked really well. Thankfully on Sunday all that was left to do was roast some vegetables drizzled in some of the liquid I'd reserved from my cooked pork.

Maple syrup glazed pork

Recipe
3.5 kilograms pork joint
150g maple syrup

Preheat oven to 250c/gas mark 9
Lay the pork on two layers of tinfoil going in opposite directions so that you can make a loose tent, place in a baking tray
Smother pork in maple syrup and create a well sealed foil tent around the pork
Place in oven for 30 minutes then reduce heat to 100c/gas mark 1/4 and cook for 12 hours
Remove from oven and after 10 minutes carefully open foil seal, lift pork out and set aside to rest for 15 minutes before carving
Add the reserved liquid to moisten carved meat

This might seem like a long winded way to cook a joint of meat, however, once in the oven you can completely forget about it. The result is a lovely soft caramelised joint, be it pork or gammon.

'Son, you are the closest I will ever come to magic'
-Suzanne Finnamore.

Love Donna xxxxxxx