Bacon chops are readily available now with many butchers curing their own

Unfortunately while my heart says yes to this my body says no. Through the week I’ll try and cut down on bread, eat vegetable laden soups, cut down on the meat and eat as many pulses as I can. Come the weekend I feel if I go for a bracing walk then I can justify having something with a bit more oomph. Bacon chops are readily available now with many butchers curing their own. You get that full blown gammon flavour without the faff of having to cook a whole joint. In the recipe here the chops are given a light coating of oil and mustard powder then fried and finished with cider, thyme and a toot of butter. Ready in about 10 minutes and if you rest them the juices will make for a delicious sauce.

You could have the chops with some mash and cabbage but here I’ve combined the two plus leeks in a bubbling, golden gratin with cream, cheese, mustard and parsley breadcrumbs. 10,000 steps in the cold rain will definitely make this a guilt free dinner.

Poached pears are a classic and deservedly so. While they have a sweetness and distinct flavour of their own the fruit also works well with other ingredients. Chocolate and pears go beautifully as in the French pudding Pear Belle Helene where the fruit is poached and served with a chocolate sauce. Pears and raspberries work well together too and here I’ve poached the pears in a raspberry syrup. I rarely poach pears whole – they take too long to cook and there’s a fine line between a perfectly cooked one and mush. If peel them, cut them in half and scoop out the core they cook more evenly and quicker. The pears here will take the flavour from the raspberries and also endow them with a pink hue. When the pears are ready the cooking liquor is strained to remove seeds and the reduced to a syrup. Chocolate is whizzed into the syrup to make a sauce that has the bitterness of it plus the sweet aroma of the fruit. For a little crunch I’ve added a candied hazelnut and chocolate crumb along with the raspberry cream. Fruity, delicious and a little bit decadent. Better make that 15,000 steps.