Ok, now that its been established that I need to lose weight AND get fit in seven weeks in order to enjoy our annual snowboarding trip (with pants on) I’ve wasted no time at all in tackling the issue.

Armed with an enormous tin of Haigh’s Cocoa powder and Stephanie Alexander’s the Cook’s Companion last weekend I baked Miettas’s Chocolate cake (250g full-cream butter AND 4 eggs)It was delicious. Just as you’d expect from the late Mietta O’Donnell.

While flushed with this success I stumbled across a recipe for a Chocolate and Zuchinni Cake. The coincidence with the name of Clotilde’s weblog was too great to overlook so this was step two in my new-fitness routine. High in fibre AND protein it had to be a winner.

It is now sitting in the kitchen cooling down so I can smother it in melted chocolate and cream. I can just feel my abs bulging to the surface! Or something