Today has been the final hurdle in my month of slog. It went really well (again) I'm pleased to report. Happy clients mean happy me so I'm feeling a bit higher spirited today than I have for weeks now.

I've come home really needing some comfort and have been salivating at the prospect of one of the eternal comfort meals, toad in the hole. I don't know how 'international' a dish toad in the hole is so please don't think I'm patronising by explaining that it's basically stodge. It's a batter, made with plain flour, eggs, milk and water, which is poured into a very hot pan over pre-cooked sausages and then baked until the batter puffs up and the sausages look like little 'toads' poking their heads out of holes in the batter. I serve it bastardised into a vegetarian dish by using Quorn sausages, with red wine and caramelised onion gravy, in thick slices. Yum.

As i picked this balloon whisk out of my utensil pot, I thought 'that's perfect' for a pic of the day. Just right for my mood and just right to illustrate a meal of toad in the hole. I nabbed David's studio set up that he'd been using to photograph holly and hey, presto, a photo I'm quite pleased with.

David says it's not good enough (again) because the black isn't black enough. He's right, of course....as he always is about this stuff. I learn so much from him because he's such a perfectionist. Mind you, don't tell him, I preferred the pic taken without the flash guns (this one), just a simple long exposure gave me just the look I was after!