When I say boil, Jos, I don't mean a rolling boil in deep water. I mean a simmer in as little water as possible, say half way up the veg, with a tight-fitting lid, usually with a pinch of salt. I have pans with glass lids with a small vent (a hole) which means I can see what's going on in there but have the lid tight on. I got fed up with pans with lids that I had to have tottering precariously over the edge of the pan to let the steam out.

We're having my home-made chunky guacamole dip tonight with crudités, followed by cheese and biscuits (I have some Vallage triple creme cheese and a bit of leftover Gorgonzola piccante). I don't go for those abject little tubs of supermarket guacamole. I get two ripe avocados which I mush up roughly in a bowl with a fork. It can be as rough or smooth as you like, but I like a bit of texture meself. Into that goes half a green chilli, finely chopped, six diced cherry tomatoes, the juice of a small lime, a goodly seasoning of salt and some finely chopped parsley. It should be coriander/cilantro really, but Mrs Steve can't abide the stuff (she says it tastes like washing-up liquid) so I use the parsley instead. Maggie could stick with the coriander. ;-) I find it tastes better made at least several hours in advance.