Talk of joy: there may be things better than beef stew and baked potatoes and home-made bread - there may be.

Talk of joy: there may be things better than beef stew and baked potatoes and home-made bread - there may be.

My specialty was baked potatoes with cheese melted over broccoli. I was also very good at melting cheese on bread.

Bread, potatoes, rice and pasta are starchy carbohydrates, which should make up a third of your diet. They are cheap - especially if bought in bulk - versatile and full of energy. Plus, they fill you up. They are also easy to cook, if you only have a two-ring hob or are fighting for space in a small kitchen.

They would add beef stew meat or roasted beef bones, so you'd have beef stock flavored with crab, which gave it a really good taste.

He used to make it in large stew pots and then can it and give it away to friends and family members,