this recipe was arrived upon when i was trying to get rid of various vegetables a few weeks ago prior to a few days away from the kitchen. i liked it so much i decided to make it as a starter for my folks' wedding anniversary dinner. at this point i changed it slightly again due to availability of veg, and made it taste better. all my best meals are accidents...

1. warm some butter in a pan, then fill the kettle and put it on
2. add half an onion and one leek, both finely chopped, plus a couple of bay leaves
3. allow these to sweat for 5 minutes without colouring too much, stir occasionally
4. chop the following into bite size pieces: 2 small sweet potatoes, 2 medium carrots, 1 parsnip
5. add the vegetables to the pan, and stir in for a couple of minutes
6. crush 2 cloves of garlic into the pan, and stir in for a minute
7. finely slice 2 or 3 sun dried tomatoes and add to the pan
8. season, then crumble two chicken stock cubes into the pan and then add about 2 pints of water and stir well
9. add about two tablespoons of red lentils
10. bring everything to a fast simmer, then reduce to a bubble for about 30-40 mins. check the seasoning after about 20 minutes and adjust if necessary. don't cook it too fast or long.

at this point the broth should have taken on a nice red hue and the veg will still be intact. i served it straight to the bowl like this with a sprig of parsley and it looked and tasted great. a real homely autumn sort of vibe. if/when i make this again i'll take a picture... the first time i made this soup i used butternut squash instead of sweet potato. the squah turned to mush and i blended the soup when it was cooked. i think the new version was much nicer and more direct in its flavour.

A cruel blow for mycophobics everywhere... BBC reports that scientists are developing ways of replacing all the good stuff in our food (fat) with mushroom extract. "One particularly promising avenue is the mushroom. It produces hydrophobins, air cells which protect the fungus from water, but which appear to have the same material properties as oil. And yet they have no calories. Because there are no legal constraints around using mushroom extract in food - it is already widely available - this is an ingredient which could be "applied across the whole board very soon", said Professor Ian Norton."

The headline above is stolen/paraphrased from Fiona Bruce, she just couldn't help herself, and neither could I! Poor old Menzies has fallen on his sword. Really tho, its sad to see the LibDems following the Tory example and eating themselves in public. The recent speculation about Menzies' position was reminiscent of the whispering campaigns that brought down recent Tory leaders. Do politicians not realise how little we trust them, without tarnishing their image further with these relentless briefings, accidentally on purpose comments and general underhandedness? It is a shame to see Menzies go, but hopefully he can return with some dignity to the elder statesman role he played so well before he assumed the leadership.

Lots of people are talking about where to locate, with the metropolises of SF and London being favoured over more remote locations. Ryan at Carsonified makes a good case for staying-put in Bath, while Marc Andreessen also speculates about location in his excellent series on how to plan your career- 'go where the action is'. Mike Butcher also joins the debate lambasting those VCs who are blinkered when it comes to funding businesses that don't cut the geographic mustard. It does make sense that the concentration of money, resources and good people will be higher in larger cities, but I think there's a case to be made for staying local, keeping the money in your own economy and building your business on that basis. If you want to go and join the crowd, go for it! Otherwise build your business around how you want to live your life. If people won't invest in your because of where you live, then they aren't the right people for you anyway. I'd rather see a vibrant, productive community developed right here in Belfast rather than watch talent and ideas drain away. This sentiment was only reinforced when Kelvin MacKenzie (former Editor of The Sun) came on the Nolan show this morning accusing Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland of draining the 'profit' out of the south east of England. According to 'statistics' that economy generates enough wealth to keep the rest of us going. Now I know there are lots of issues at play here, but if they want to cut us loose and keep all that hard-earned cash for themselves, then perhaps they should move a few oil refineries, steel works and other heavy industries to Kent and the home counties, just to keep the balance right.

threw your brother in the dirt now you're the bitter fool he's dead and you have lost the chance to make amends sisters, mother friends all care trying to help you your kingdom is too strong love won't make it through your money and your pride are you that you have left prey on the weakest mind but you have had your day i've got this word in my head but i can't pronounce it of all of the things she said it was this one that counted making all of the mistakes again can i expect forgiveness understanding my life in a word that word is meh meh then i rweale;awn flkda fkdfknadf dsfadnfklndsflknasdfkn