Do YOU know the answer to this very poignant question? What the hell is she talking about being another. Allow me to give a loooong explanation. This past December I had the pleasure of meeting the wonderful Tony, my mate Sally's brother, and of having a super supper cooked by him. He was on holiday from Oz – you've got to really love your Sis to leave 35°C for 5°C – and very kindly cooked a lovely meal in a foreign kitchen where you a) can't find things, b)your sister washes things as soon as you put them down (so what if it was the cat food fork..), etc, etc. And just for added pressure, there's a world famous blogger invited. That's me by the way...

Getting to my super supper had been an exciting experience in itself. I had set off in pouring rain and heavy winds, already weather conditions severe enough to have made most sensible beings (you know, any being with more than 2 active brain cells) stay at home. Had The Husband been home, this would have been the case, but I was playing Kevin (Home Alone? Come on people, get with the program) and set off. At about the halfway mark, the weather changed...for the worse. Gale force winds jimmied the car (Jimmy Buffet?) and the wipers couldn't keep up with the torrential rain which was been blown sideways across the windscreen.

Even for me who is not a scardey cat, who has experienced hurricane conditions sailing in the North Atlantic, this was a very tight lipped, pinched bottom type of a drive. Turning round and going home was no longer possible for many reasons: there was a cooked dinner ahead of me and a cold sandwich behind me; I was halfway so the drive forward and back would be the same in time in terms of time and conditions and as my cup is always half full, I had to assume that the weather would improve later in the evening. Therefore, it was best to go ahead now so as to have the good weather on the way home. Logic. Blonde logic. And last but not least, a warm meal ahead and...you get it.

But don't fear when Tony's near, 'cos he made up for the weather hugely by cooking a really fabulous meal in really fabulous company. Sal's sister Karin was also there and we all joked and chatted. Okay, so I didn't really give everyone a fair chance to talk – I promise I'll allow you more than three sentences next time Karin. Holding me down and taping my mouth closed is a method favored by some... But I digress (see, I talk too much on paper too) and I want to tell you more about Tony's deeelicious meal.

He made succulent Roast Lamb with fennel seeds (will give you some great lamb recipes sooooon), ratatouille (which I liked better than mine so send me the recipe please, Ton!), golden roast potatoes, courgette and green beans and the “chef-d'œuvre ” (masterpiece), the Yorkshire Pudding. Not an inedible stodgy mass, but a fluffy, perfectly risen, delicious specimen of a Yorkshire Pudding. Well done Tony!

And this is where the peeking comes in – see, I hadn't forgotten. While The Yorkie was in the oven doing its thing, Edward, Sal's husband, said we should have a peek at it. Well, he was basically rugby tackled by 3 three people, who were screaming, “DON'T touch the oven door! Are you mad?!” That's like the golden Yorkie rule – you NEVER open the door! After we'd all let him go and had returned quivering to our seats (with ever a watchful eye on him), he told us that his mother had an Aga and she would always have a little peek to see if the Yorkie had risen enough. Our communal blood pressure had surely risen enough at the mere thought of the faux pas, but it did get us thinking:
Is it, or is it not, okay to open the oven and have a quick peek at your Yorkie?

When is peeking okay?
Is peeking at your neighbors answer sheet at school okay? (The chap sitting next to me at university would have kicked himself for copying my answers)
Is peeking at the naked people on the beach okay? (YES!!)
Oops, lost my train of thought there for a minute.

What do you think? Is it okay to peek at the Yorkshire Pudding or not. Write comments people and let me have YOUR opinion.

That's it for today folks. My next post will be a recipe for Yorkshire Pudding so watch this space. And thanks again Ton for a lovely evening and a lovely meal. We're all looking forward to your next visit so hurry on back!