Playing catch up

I've been getting close to burn out recently - the signs have been there for a while - unhappy skin, weight gain, irritability, insomnia and generally feeling wiped out. I feel as though I could sleep, and sleep, and then some. Struggling to shake off a bug last week was the final straw, so I took Friday off to play house. I did the weekly shop, I cleaned, I read, I slept and I cooked.

I rarely cook after work - Mr M is quite frankly my knight in a shiny apron. I wanted to cook him something lovely, and it being a Friday thought it rather apt to cook fish. A whole rainbow trout to be precise from the fish counter at Waitrose. There's a great recipe in Jamie's 15 Minute Meals - baked whole trout, jersey royals, peas and mustard sauce. Okay - so it wasn't done in 15 minutes, but it was delicious and I got to use some of the fresh mint that has resurfaced in the garden. Seriously, I had no idea how easy it was to cook a whole fish - for some reason I thought it would be really tricksy and vaguely gruesome with the head and tail, and a pain to bone, hence I'd always steered clear - but nope, just a splash of oil, seasoning and thyme and a hot oven. Oh, and Mr M's deboning advice upon serving. I've avoided whole fish in restaurants following my mackerel disaster with the lovely K - she deboned hers beautifully whilst I failed miserably ending up with a crunchy mush and utter embarrassment.

I wish we had a local fishmonger. Sadly, the nearest is miles away and a complete palaver to get to. I miss the regular interaction and knowledge. There's something wonderful about walking into a speciality store be it a fishmonger, Italian deli or butcher where you're recognised and recommendations are put forward. Are you lucky enough to have a local source?