Petticoat and Pie: gluten free

Now here's my kind of supper.

Shrimple, but effective.

Yep. SHE'S BAAAAACK!!!

So in a matter of weeks, garden furniture up and down the country will be packed into sheds, locked up and forgotten about until next year.

We'll resume our places around the dinner table, or nestle into sofas with plates on laps, and forget all about lazy BBQs as we slurp on a chicken casserole.

Now I for one found relaxation in those outdoors suppers.

The fresh air (and let's face it, separation from an earlier massacred kitchen) unwind me, and this is the dish I've chosen to enjoy whilst the curtains to a summer full of living are finally drawn.

Here's what you'll need:

Large handful of linguine. I use the gluten free dried stuff but fresh works just fine.

1 red chilli, roughly chopped

3 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 red onion, finely diced

Handful of mixed small tomatoes

1 large glass white wine

500g cooked and peeled king prawns

Handful fresh parsley, chopped

1 lemon

Cook your pasta in salted boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes until al dente.

Whilst it's boiling, chop your chilli and garlic into chunks

Pop them in a food processor (if you don't have one just chop as small as you can)

And blitz until you're left with something like this:

Heat a pan with a little olive oil and give you pasta a twirl

And throw in the onion, chilli and garlic

Fry until softened, season and pulse your tomatoes

You don't want them liquidized, so go easy here. Pour them into the pan

By now your pasta should be ready, so drain, rinse off and put to one side

Go back to your sauce, glugging in the wine as you go

Drop in your prawns

Squeeze in the juice of a lemon and top with a sprinkling of chopped parsley

Season, add your pasta, stir it all together and leave it to bubble whilst you lay the table.

Light a candle, pull up a chair and soak in the evening.

Bye bye for now, al fresco suppers. Until next year...

There's a strange wheezing sensation going on in my lungs.

It's called Bronchitis and I've been well and truly struck down by the bugger.

I've spent days cooped up, coughing and spluttering under a fortress of blankets, reading book after book, watching film after film, guzzling Lucozade by the gallon and exceeding the recommended daily intake of Strepsils easily by ten.

The doctor's orders were "strong antibiotics and rest."

I think he might have forgotten to mention one more remedy.

These are my Poorly Pancakes and they happen to be the only thing I look forward to whilst I'm feeling under the weather.

Not only are they deliciously fluffy and gluten free, they're also high in Vitamin K and full of antioxidants which boost the immune system and protect your ticker.

Exactly what you need when you're a poorly panda.

(Especially as they're also painful easy and ready to go in under ten minutes flat.)

The speedy secret behind my pancakes is all thanks to Nigella. I've kept a jar of her Homemade Instant Pancake Mix in my cupboard for as long as I can remember.

It lasts forever, takes no time at all to throw together and makes four batches worth of the fluffiest American pancakes known to mankind!

In a big jar, sift in:

4 cups of plain flour (I use a regular gluten free blend)

3 tbsp baking powder

2 teaspoons bicarbonate of soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 tbsp caster sugar

(1 tsp Xantham Gum if using gluten free flour)

To make four thick pancakes, enough for two people, all you need is:

1 cup full of your ready made pancake mix

1 big knob melted butter

1 cup of milk

1 egg

And for the syrup:

1 pack of fresh blueberries

200ml good quality maple syrup

Okay. Take one cup of your pancake mix and add it to a large mixing bowl.

Pour in your milk...

Crack in an egg...

Melt your butter in a saucepan and throw that in too...

And give it a whisk!

If you're lazy like me you'll use an electric handheld instead of a wooden spoon. If not, then take the day off. These and Poorly Pancakes, after all.

You should be left with a firm, thick, creamy batter.

Give it a few minutes to rest and get your blueberry syrup ready.

On a low heat, add your blueberries to a saucepan.

Pour in the maple syrup, just enough to cover the berries.

It keeps well and can be used for drizzling over ice cream and porridge later on in the week when you're feeling back to your best.

Whilst that gently bubbles away, heat a large, oiled frying pan and fill a small pancake sized disk with your batter.

After a couple of minutes, release your pancake, flip it over and repeat.

A few minutes on each side should do the trick. If you've made them extra thick you can double check they're ready by gently pressing with a spatula. If any batter seeps from the sides, give them a little bit longer.

Keep them covered until you're ready to serve.