It’s funny that even though I’ve 50 years’ experience cooking big dinners, I still feel the need to consult cookery books. Neven’s books get pulled out – and Rick Stein’s – in search of some new tips.

Then, I fall back on my own ways with confidence. I was in a good place for Easter Sunday and really looking forward to having all of the family for dinner. The Helens were definitely coming up from west Cork, which would make five adults and Ricky.

Tim took himself off to posh Dunnes on the Bandon Road. He didn’t tell me. This particular Dunnes is a very fine shop with lots of extra stalls, such as James Whelan Butchers, K O’Connell’s fish, Sheridans Cheesemongers and so on. A lot of Cork’s English Market offering can be found in posh Dunnes.

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At holiday times, it’s practically impossible to even get in there. Cars would be parked everywhere. Tim has kept driving on those occasions and I’ve been disappointed.

A spring leg of lamb

Do you remember the film Love Actually when the late Alan Rickman is being served by Rowan Atkinson as he tries to discreetly buy a necklace for his mistress. He just wanted to get away.

That’s what Tim felt like as he chose a lovely little leg of spring lamb. His attendant was in no hurry, thinking the farmer had all day. She wiped it, turned it this way and that. Then she wrapped it in Whelan’s embossed exquisite waxed two-tone brown paper.

Then pulling off some black and white cord, she tied it carefully, finishing with a bow before placing it in the farmer’s arms and charging him €75.

His mouth was watering already at the thought of the succulent lamb. Tim made a great job of telling us the story. Every time I opened the fridge, I saw the neat little dark parcel, thought of the wife played by Emma Thompson and 50 years of cooking told me that there was not enough lamb to feed the family, especially as I had added Philip and Aileen and Colm and Elaine into the pot.

I hopped into the car and went down to our local SuperValu, O’Leary’s, and purchased a slightly bigger leg of lamb for €23.99. Returning home, I placed the two on the table. Tim’s was slightly under 2kg and mine was a bit over.

Every time I opened the fridge, I saw the neat little dark parcel, thought of the wife played by Emma Thompson and 50 years of cooking told me that there was not enough lamb to feed the family, especially as I had added Philip and Aileen and Colm and Elaine into the pot

I was quickly told that I had purchased “an auld hogget”. Hogget or not, I was happy. A bit of pink spring lamb on top of the other and all would be well. I cooked mine for two hours and the spring lamb for 90 minutes with several sprigs of fresh flowering rosemary from the garden.

I picked off the little flowers to adorn the plates and, of course, forgot them. I made my signature gravy, (not available in any book) using the rosemary-infused sediment, a stock cube and two dessert spoonfuls of redcurrant jelly.

Roasted root vegetables with baby potatoes and dinner was on the table. Between spring lamb and auld hogget, there wasn’t a scrap left on either bone.

Pay time

Having them all around the table during school holidays is my magic potion to wellness. We had Ricky for a few days and he was in his element helping Tim farming. He was into the calf shed looking for his jobs. Topping up the meal feeders is his main one.

Jobs are far more attractive now that he is being paid. The money goes into his sealed money box. At the end of the season, he will open it and go to the toy shop.

It’s a great way to learn an appreciation of money and more importantly, the value of work. And, as if Easter wasn’t happy enough, the swallows have arrived.