Baked corned beef hash.

Yes, not new. But good, even if only once every seven years. It's probably been longer.

The cold weather had returned with a vengeance, earlier having been spurned by the kind of spring warmth we haven’t seen for something like seven years. That Nino thing or whatever it’s called. Let’s hope it stays away permanently. 

Either way, the chilly blast called for homely, filling fare. This time I did the corned beef thing in the oven. A fist-sized knob of corned beef, chopped into small dice (apparently you are meant to 'pull' it - some kind of bizarre American expression) was turned into a large bowl of boiled and semi-mashed potato along with a tablespoonful each of mild English mustard and butter, and folded through with two eggs, a handful of finely chopped parsley and a dash of salt and pepper.

This mess was placed into a casserole dish and topped with more butter and a thatch of grated cheddar cheese, and baked until bubbling.

Serve with steamed green vegetables; green beans, asparagus and broccolini.