Apparently my wife(Bronwyn), was getting tired of my request for chicken pie and mash potato every few evenings, so she requested that we challenge ourselves to eat a different dish for dinner every day for a month. I think she also wanted to improve and/or expand her cooking skills. The rules were simply that when together we must have a different dish every day for dinner. The only exception being if one of us were away from the house, then you’re allowed to eat what you like. As it was November 2020 with a Tier 4(which soon became a Tier 5) Lockdown in London and there weren’t any pubs, restaurants or entertainment venues legally open + both of us would be in the house most nights(aka trapped with no excuse or escape), so 1st December seemed like a good time to start this challenge.
Update: We made it to 4 months (March 31st) and now Bronwyn wants a month off for some chicken pie 😀
We managed to get through the first month without many problems, I did happen to be away for dinner a couple of nights(caring for my mother), so had Fish & Chips), but other than that it was quite fun and rewarding to try to think up and cook such a variety of meals. I then suggested we carry this on to make the challenge 3 months long, as that should be much more challenging, so we did.
Once we hit the 3 month barrier, I then wondered if there was some kind of World Record for this, but haven’t found the answer yet. Anyways we’ve decided to keep going and maybe try to travel the world – so far we’ve been to England, Scotland(Hogmanay), Wales(St.David’s Day), France, China, Japan, Korea, Israel, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Turkey, India, Bangladesh, Thailand, Vietnam, the Caribbean, . Any suggestions or comments are welcome 😀
Here are the meals we have eaten so far :
December 2020
Dec 1 Chicken Kiev
Dec 2 Pork loins with cous cous
Dec 3 Dry Chicken noodles
Dec 4 Spaghetti Bologonese with pork mince
Dec 5 Venison and beef special anniversary dinner at The Richmond Hill Hotel 🙂
Dec 6 Left-over bologonese mix but with salad + jacket potatoes
Dec 7 Thai green curry
Dec 8 James’ nice chicken/celery pie + pastry top
Dec 9 Dominoes Pizza
Dec 10 X Ate separately (James had pie & pizza left-overs, Bronwyn Steak & Ale Pukka Pie).
Dec 11 Beef meatballs with harissa sauce
Dec 12 Chinese from The Chef takeaway
Dec 13 Beef brisket roast
Dec 14 James’ Israeli chicken Sofrito
Dec 15 X James ate at the Wetherspoons pub before lockdown and had a panini.
Dec 16 X James ate Fish n’chips with his Mum.
Dec 17 Pork shepherds pie
Dec 18 Chicken, olive + tomato + potatoes bake
Dec 19 Indian Cottage takeaway
Dec 20 Katsu curry by James
Dec 21 Pork chops with mashed potato and carrots
Dec 22 Sausage casserole by James
Dec 23 Beef burgers from mince by the Bronwyn
Dec 24 Gammon and pease pudding
Dec 25 Christmas turkey + vegetables + trimmings 😀
Dec 26 Turkey stew by James
Dec 27 Turkey curry
Dec 28 Turkey casserole
Dec 29 Chilli con carne
Dec 30 Fallafel and cous cous salad (James)
Dec 31 Roast lamb leg
January 2021
Jan 1 KFC! 😀
Jan 2 Reggae Reggae Jerk chicken wraps + rice by James
Jan 3 Pork loin with balsamic onion and honey carrots
Jan 4 Chicken chausseur
Jan 5 Pork ragu from a Mindful Chef recipe by James
Jan 6 X Beef stroganof (James had Fish n’Chips at his Mum’s)
Jan 7 Hairy Bikers Lancaster Hotpot
Jan 8 Korma curry with fried pork + red peppers, rice, broccoli + carrots + fried aubergine in cumin, cajun, black pepper, tumeric
Jan 9 Bangladeshi takeway from Surrey Palace (chicken shatkora)
Jan 10 Chicken Lo-main with carrots
Jan 11 Sainsburys Chicken pie, carrots, potatoes and greeen beans (the inspiration for this challenge)
Jan 12 Chicken cobler by James
Jan 13 Sausage and mash at James’ Mum’s
Jan 14 Chicken cacciatore
Jan 15 Tarragon chicken
Jan 16 Chicken tikka masala by James
Jan 17 Thai takeaway from Thai Crystal in Ewell
Jan 18 Fish & Chips for James – Bronwyn at home unwell
Jan 19 Steak chilli with brown rice
Jan 20 Pork chops with jacket potatoes, carrots and onion/green pepper topping
Jan 21 Pork kebabs
Jan 22 Roasted Poussin with roast vegetables
Jan 23 Turkish shish kebabs from Tas North Cheam
Jan 24 Roast chicken and roast potatoes, carrots, sprouts
Jan 25 Hoisan chicken with rice, then vegetarian Haggis for Hogmanay! (could only find a vegetarian one)
Jan 26 Chicken sandwiches / random leftovers (well no sandwiches so far)
Jan 27 Pork burgers
Jan 28 Beef noodles
Jan 29 Three bean and chicken stew aka “Boston Baked Beans”
Jan 30 Japanese takeaway from Osaka
Jan 31 Venison stew
February 2021
Feb 1 Veal burgers, French fries and carrot fries
Feb 2 Pork steaks with lentils and balsmic mustard sauce
Feb 3 Chicken curry with potato and rice
Feb 4 Choritzo beans and rice from Wilton Tennis Club‘s master chef Martin Schiller
Feb 5 X Fish & Chips for James – leftover choritzo and beans for Bronwyn
Feb 6 Crispy chicken with Mexican salad and rice
Feb 7 Roast pork with potatoes, carrots, onions and leeks by James 🙂
Feb 8 Beef meatballs and Thai curry
Feb 9 Chicken burgers from Hello Fresh
Feb 10 Pork meatballs with chipotle sauce
Feb 11 Chicken breast with olives/tomatoes with mashed potatoes
Feb 12 Turkey risotto
Feb 13 Korean takeaway from Azit New Malden
Feb 14 Roast pheasant for James and steak for Bronwyn
Feb 15 Chicken breast wrapped with sausage meat
Feb 16 Chicken enchiladas
Feb 17 Chicken Kerela coconut curry
Feb 18 Pork stir-fry with egg fried rice
Feb 19 Meatloaf by James with help from the Hairy Bikers #veryGood
Feb 20 Vietnamese takeaway from
Feb 21 Pork & beef fajitas
Feb 22 Pulled pork with Hasselback potatoes
Feb 23 Chicken schnitzel
Feb 24 Polpette with cannellini beans
Feb 25 Chicken thighs with pork & apple stuffing with lemon potatoes
Feb 26 Omelette
Feb 27 Beef Bourginon by James #AMAZING
Feb 28 Grilled lamb chops and roast potatoes, carrots, onions, courgettes by James
The Challenge Continues…
March 2021
Mar 1 Chicken and Leek St.David’s Day Hotpot
Mar 2 Chicken Laksa
Mar 3 Moroccan lentils and roast couliflower
Mar 4 Moroccan lamb with brown rice and pickled cucumber
Mar 5 Fish n’chips for James again. Bronwyn had sausages #toughTimes
Mar 6 Toad in the hole by James 😀 cooked remarkably well
Mar 7 Roast Duck a l’Orange
Mar 8 2021 Chicken leg and pepper onions
Mar 9 2021 Bratwurst with mustard, sauerkraut and carmelised onions.
Mar 10 2021 Chickpea and cauliflower Chana Masala mix
Mar 11 2021 Cock-a-leekie soup by James
Mar 12 2021 Lamb schwarma in pita pockets
Mar 13 2021 Nepalese takeaway from Sherpa Kitchen Esher
Mar 14 2021 Steak and gravy pie PI DAY!
Mar 15 2021 Veal Milanese with Ragu at Mum’s with Gina/Stephen.
Mar 16 2021 Pork stroganof with broccoli rice
Mar 17 2021 Irish Stew
Mar 18 2021 Chicken and Chorizo Jambalaya by James
Mar 19 2021 Butter chicken with rice
Mar 20 2021 Chimi-churri steak with cubes potatoes and grilled vegetables
Mar 21 2021 Wetherspoons style Ham, egg and chips by James!
Mar 22 2021 Lemon chicken and spaghetti
Mar 23 2021 Coke braised ham with cabbage? jacket potato by James
Mar 24 2021 Vegan meatballs Swedish style
Mar 25 2021 Beef stroganof by Bronwyn
Mar 26 2021 Barbeque ribs from Broncos with fries and jacket potato and carrots
Mar 27 2021 Pap and wors (South African sausage)
Mar 28 2021 Red thai curry with rice
Mar 29 2021 Veal Piccata
Mar 30 2021 Chicken Shakshuka by James
Mar 31 2021 Egg fried rice and fallafel by Bronwyn LOL
Thank Yous
Thanks to the Mindful Chef guys for some truly amazing recipes – they’re a great company that give a free meal to needy people for every meal you order from them.
Also Big Thanks to the Hairy Bikers, Sainsburys Kitchen Know How and the Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cook Book for lots of help with recipes and cooking 😀