Yesterday I brought my friend Deniz (about to be 80; see his photo in the Photo section) up to London to see Harrods (he'd never been there) and then come up to my house for an early evening supper.

His jaw literally dropped in Harrods. It was fun for me too; he noticed and pointed out things I, in 50 years of weekly visits, had stopped noticing. Chandeliers, decorations, ceilings...

Then home to a roast chicken dinner with all the trimmings - roast potatoes, sprouts, bread sauce, gravy...

As usual I over cooked and had an entire chicken afterwards (I roasted two - one each) left over.

So tonight - chicken curry in a mild coconut, onion and mushroom sauce with mashed potatoes - comfort food, delicious.

Incidentally, since he hadn't been to my home for 40 years, he noticed numerous Christmas gifts he'd given me over the years.

Aren't friends wonderful?