st jude and a banana cake

I spent most of this past weekend at home, curtains closed, candles lit, trying my best to avoid the onslaught of stormy St Jude. I based my entire weekend around cooking and eating (as I do every weekend, naturally...) - on Friday I paid a visit to the Edition Hotel for cocktails and Lima for supper. On Saturday I baked a great cake (Nigel's banana and chocolate loaf), made a squash soup and a butter bean and chorizo stew. Then I roasted a chicken with lots of garlic and thyme for supper. I also got on with preparing a sourdough starter - something I've been meaning to do for months. It's growing in size in the back of the cupboard for the moment. By next Saturday, we'll finally be able to begin making our own sourdough loaves. Rejoice! I also somehow managed to fit in Sunday lunch with friends at St John's Tavern. It's literally the ultimate North London autumnal lunch spot (Scotch eggs, dauphinoise, red wine galore). Oh, and I even had leftover cake to take into work today...