We had a vegetarian friend over last night, and a spare butternut squash in the cellar, left over from ‘s last visit at the start of November, when she demonstrated the range of her non-meat cooking repertoire. We also had some tofu in the fridge, and by careful googling I soon found a recipe for butternut squash with creamy tofu, thyme and walnut stuffing, took my courage in my hands and cooked it. Had to do a little bit of shuffling of ingredients (is Martini Bianco sufficiently similar to vermouth?) but people seemed to like it.

The butternut squash! Wondrous vegetable! I like my meals to have a substantial centrepiece, usually a juicy chunk of meat with a suitably fragrant sauce. But the butternut squash, suitably adorned, is a superb centrepiece in its own right. Cut it into four lengthways, scoop out the seeds, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake at 175° (350° for primitive Fahrenheit users) for 45-60 minutes, and you practically have a juicy, tasty meal for four people right there. (Or three people, if one is my brother-in-law.) (I mean ‘s brother, not ‘s husband; I have two brothers-in-law.) (I’d better stop.)

Anyway, I thought you ought to know.