Last weekend featured some cooking to last through the week – a slow-cooked beef shin ragu, a chicken curry with lentils, and working on the Justin Gellatly sourdough recipe (which was baked on Monday). Very pleased to have reactivated my elderly, frozen sourdough starter, and hoping that I can keep it going with some more loaves through December.

• FT Weekend food issue – every quarter, the FT dedicates their very good weekend magazine to food. Last weekend’s included an excellent article by Polly Russell on historic Christmas food, with Ivan Day, the food historian who sometimes features on The Great British Bake Off.
• Another great piece on historic Christmas food was the recent Food Programme on Radio 4, featuring Diana Henry and Bea Wilson making fig and pomegranate jam, and a history of Turkish Delight.
• If these apple and marmalade hotcakes are any indication, this new cookbook all about Marmalade will be very good.
• I made the Justin Gellatly sourdough recipe from Bread, Cake, Doughnut, Pudding, but I’m also planning to try the Tartine Bread and this San Joaquin sourdough recommended by a friend.