CHRIS RUNDLE

NOW IS THE SEASON FOR STEAMED PUDDINGS, SAYS CHRIS, AS THE DAYS SHORTEN, THE NIGHTS LENGTHEN AND THE WEATHER TURNS CHILLIER

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FOR the benefit of those of you who come over all faint if you so much as find yourself in the same room as a single clove of the stuff let me reassure you: there will be no garlic in this week's recipes.

And that's for a very good reason: it is as the result of a request. One firmly but politely made and couched in the sort of tone that indicated that had I a mind as to my personal welfare and continuance in reasonably good health it would not do to ignore it.

It came from regular reader Martyn, who spent his career feeling the collars of the criminal classes and who somewhat alertly stepped over to metaphorically feel mine when we crossed in the street.

A word, he said. Of course, I said. Thing is, he said, it's like this: 'er indoors was no great lover of garlic. Him, he was happy to eat it. All day long. But Mrs S, well, she considered it to be a product of Satan's allotment. More than that, she was getting a little wearied by its pretty much constant appearance among the ingredients list in the recipes on this page. Narmean? So how about leaving it out one week?