Here we are in the actual mid-winter. Mid January to Mid February. Lola had a moment of a real photo opportunity on a red Chesterfield in a Bikers cafe today. She is a dog that loves both sofa’s and cafes. Her perfect life would be as the companion dog for a food critic. Lola is not a fan of mid-winter.

I was feeling a bit mid-wintery this morning. Just a bit bored of my winter clothes and wishing for sunshine. Last weekend’s glorious days were just too much of a tease for me to happily revert to the greige of this weekend. The cure was a jar of marmalade.

I have absolutely jumped the gun with this purchase. A good friend makes the best marmalade on the planet. But she is a purist and only makes it when Seville oranges are in season and available in February. Hers is dark, bitter and bursting with flavour. Only Frank Cooper gets close and on a day when the sun has failed to make an appearance I need marmalade to bring some colour to my life almost as much as Lola needs a sofa!