You made me love you, I didn't want to do it...

Rocket Noodles
Serves 4

375g dried egg noodles
150g smoked salmon trimmings, cut into strips
100g rocket leaves,washed
1-2 tbsp olive oil or 1 tbsp of melted butter if preferred
3-4 tbsp freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
Ground pepper to season (optional)

Smoked salmon trimmings are cheaper and perfect for this meal. Slice the trimmings into smaller strips. Wash and dry the rocket leaves. Cook the noodles according to the instructions on the packet. When they are ready, drain the noodles. Add the olive oil, stirring it round. Quickly stir in the rocket leaves which will wilt in the heat of the cooked noodles. Add the smoked salmon strips. Sprinkle some freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on top.

We said our goodbyes to the Misses Roquette, Rocket and Aragula with a meal that earned an 8 out of 10. Our Namer-in-Chief, Alexandra, called it Rocket Noodles. It is easy to prepare with rocket, salmon and parmesan. Our Initiation Au Gout, inspired by a restaurant, La Cigale, has gone well. Freddie has learned to like the peppery taste of rocket in a potato salad, on pizzas, in noodles and in wraps. For lunch today we combined tuna with creme-fraiche, chopped rocket and basil all rolled up in a tortilla wrap. Freddie started singing,"You made me love you, I didn't want to do it..."

At the supermarket, in the queue at the fish counter was a beautifully dressed French woman. With her was a boy of about three dressed in a pastel blue suit and patent blue sandals with a buttoned strap. I like to pry at other people's shopping trolleys and this one was too good to miss. There were scallops, gulls' eggs, Sea bass, pomegranates and crab. I shifted a plastic bag to obscure mine (baked beans, pork sausages and past their sell-by-date hot cross buns), leaving only the wild rocket on show. As my trolley-envy grew, Madame Haute Cuisine completed her extensive fish order. This wasn't any ordinary shopping list - more an order to fill a large aquarium. The pastel prince was becoming bored and working up to a small tantrum in French. She moved on to her shellfish order. He upped the volume. Tantrums are universal, they need no translating. Except in between the whining I couldn't help hearing the word "Nugget." My trolley-envy disappeared. As his mother shopped for crayfish and caviar, he was screaming for chicken nuggets. And there was I thinking that the French were immune...

NEXT STOP is S for SALAD