It has been lovely concluding things in the studio as I look towards the end of the year, reflecting on some drawings and paintings as I get ready for my Open Studios.

In the Summer I drew Jeremy Lee cooking at Quo Vadis in Soho. He made me a Salad Niçoise which - some of you will know - I am on a serious mission to find the best of the best of.

We sat and talked potatoes while he shelled broad beans and jubilantly called ideas and questions across the kitchen to his chefs who were getting ready for lunch service. Jeremy lifts the spirits; you should have seen the smile on my face walking through the sunny streets of Soho afterwards!

A detail that I particularly enjoyed including in my drawing was John Broadley’smenu illustrations. The restaurant and his drawings come hand in hand; both lighthearted and darkly witty they fill the walls and tablecloths and change with the seasonal menus. Culinary illustration at its very best.

A few new paintings (including Nature Morte,November - below) were included in the show Chiaroscuro with Milieu Studios which opened In St. Ives this month.

I have a dream of being able to paint one Still Life a week, for a year and to watch the passing of time, across a kitchen table, through that series. This would be the first week of November.

Would you rather? Jeremy Lee of Quo Vadis

Would you rather dauphinoise or Jacket potato? Here’s to a bowl of just dug new potatoes, gently wiped free of a flaky skin, boiled and eaten with cold butter and sea salt

What recipe do you cook for your loved ones? Ah, so many favourites, chicken pie or braised lamb or beef followed by an almond tart heaped with figs, or whichever fruit suits at the time.

What do you cook when you’re sick? Chicken soup or lentil soup