We’ve been travelling for less than two weeks and I feel the need for some breathing space from the festive dining and drinking but also from the continuous forward momentum that travel involves.I also need respite from navigating my way through a foreign city. Though I have been to London several times, I don’t have an inbuilt compass that just knows which direction I’m facing. It takes me more than a few moments to figure which side of the road I need to be on in order to catch the right bus.Is it the serpentine river or the lack of a street grid system which spins me around as though in a child’s party game? Both most likely.

Holiday travel is exciting, exhilarating even, and yet at other times it’s definitely dull. It is in these quiet moments that I seek peace to counterbalance the whirlwind of long-anticipated catch-ups and celebration. While we might be averaging 10,000-plus steps a day, we are also averaging more than our fair share of food and drink. Heaven forbid there should be a seasonal craft beer or a bag of crisps that escapes our attention.

Some people plan vacations away from it all, the days’ only commitment laying on a sunbed by the pool reading an airport paperback. Others seek out adrenaline-spiking adventure. Us, we enjoy cities and their culture. Slowly wandering from one gallery or obscure museum to a restaurant via a bustling pub with a little window shopping thrown in is definitely my idea of a holiday.

Today, we had allotted a catch up with old family friends and yet somehow no restaurant reservation had been secured. Heads up, the Thursday before Christmas is a tricky time to get a last minute lunch booking for 5. In fact, we spent the previous couple of days asking every local pub we were in if they happened to have an opening. They didn’t, looking at us with either pity of incredulity.

That’s okay, I’ll cook I say. We’re staying just a few doors along from a supermarket (two actually) so sourcing isn’t a problem. Our apartment has a well-equipped kitchen plus a dining table for six. This will work.

From memory, our guests have fairly conservative tastes though honestly we’d only ever eaten out so I wasn’t 100% sure there were no dietary issues. Bottom line, I’ll keep the menu simple from a flavour perspective and also from a time/effort perspective.

I love cheese and I just kind of assume most other people do too. I’m occasionally wrong on this but then there’d be more for me so no loss. I decide on a baked soft cheese to begin with and a little antipasti and cured meat for us to nibble on while we enjoy a drink.

For mains, I’m going with fish as I want an easily digestible protein but something still substantial. I pick out a 500g fillet of Scottish salmon and some local raw prawns. A bag of new potatoes and some petit green beans and the bones of the meal is down. Some fancy French butter – because I can – one lemon and a bunch of chives and beurre blanc here we come. For dessert, it’s mince pies and vanilla bean custard plus double cream. Provisions purchased and the cost is no more than it would be for the two of us to eat and drink at a local pub.

The kitchen is very often my happy place and today that is certainly the case. Preparing and cooking for people I love is how I show I care. When people say, don’t go to any fuss we can just eat out, I’m crestfallen. I want to cook for you. I want to think about what I have on hand and what I’ll need to buy. I’ll browse recipes which I then completely ignore before riffing on something I already know how to make. This is what I do for pleasure.

Earbuds in, podcast on and I begin my prep list (ex-hospo habits die hard). What needs to be done first? Do I need to multi-task oven or pans? I wash the produce, prep the starters and set the table. I’m so in the zone that I almost don’t hear Steve and our guests arrive.

The next couple of hours pass in a haze of chatter, laughter and the clink of glasses. The 18 months since we’d last seen each other vanish. That’s how it should be, the food playing a supporting role to our reconnection. Maybe that’s the respite that I really needed – friendly faces, easy conversation and no time limit on our meal. Wine on the table, second servings and the option to undo a top button if required are just added bonuses.