I’m trying to cook more with veggies again. What am I saying, I’m always trying to cook more with veggies – the problem is – raw veggies are hardly the time of snack we want to dig into to satisfy hunger. Can beans, packet of ham slices, piece of quiche – yeah. An apple, a carrot, a pear – boring, tasteless, unsatisfying. Okay, definitely not tasteless but definitely unsatisfying.

Then when it comes to cooking veggies – somehow it feels like they require more prep, more cooking time, more fiddling and faffing around. Take stuffed peppers. Pre-grill the peppers, make all the stuffing, put everything together, bake it again. Who can be asked – when all you want is a quick meal. So ready meals it is. Or that can of chopped pork, or scotch eggs.

But, I keep trying. In my last shop I bought an aubergine and some peppers, taking inspiration from some Gousto meals I had the other day. There was still some faffing involved, but I tried to minimise that by using only one pan, and not baking my red pepper and orzo pasta dish, instead just lowering the hob temperature and, well, stewing it for a bit. I also bought some butternut squash, no idea what I’m going to do with it.

I’m constantly looking for vegetable dishes that pack a punch, don’t require a million ingredients, don’t require bulking up with rice, pasta or bread, and most importantly don’t require 10 pots to prepare it. I know I’m exaggerating, but you get the point. Problem is, too often I get frustrated with all the faff required for vegetable cooking and fall back on the good old favourites – meat, pork pies and all those ready quick snacks you can pick up in the supermarket, that are unhealthy, but oh so satisfying and filling, and easy.

I need to revisit my dip creation. I tired making a bean dip once, but added too much liquid. It all turned very unappetising and went down the loo. I have to try again. Make dips. They’re easy and quick to make – in one dish only. Keep for several days to a week in the fridge and quite frankly you can eat some of them with a spoon. Satisfying enough. I think so.