I don’t really bake. I love cooking meals but I haven’t made a cake or pastry for years. I have had a lifetime battle with my weight so I find it easier to avoid temptation by just not baking.

These days, like everyone else, I am trying to be very careful with the food in my cupboard, fridge and freezer, and I have time on my hands so I can try new recipes. Nothing is being wasted; oldish vegetables are being turned into soup rather than being thrown out. Sometimes my meals are like the invention challenge on MasterChef  – now what can I do with some pak choi, pineapple and parmesan cheese?

So when I found half a bag of flour, some muscovado sugar and half a jar of peanut butter in the cupboard I wondered what I could make with them that didn’t involve eggs (which I am keeping for omelettes). So I present to you peanut butter cookies. I sort of followed a recipe, adding in quite a lot of butter, and they actually taste good. I need to ration them out a bit so most of them have gone into the freezer for now.

Talking about food, I spotted this post on the BBC: Food wholesalers offer online orders to sell stock. Food wholesalers supply restaurants and pubs, but are now turning to home sales during the closures.

So I googled ‘Food wholesalers home delivery’ and got a list of businesses nearby – they are necessarily only delivering locally.  It is clear that they are not used to online sales, and they are having to adapt rapidly to a new method of marketing, so some of the websites are a bit clunky. But they offer everything from gourmet meats to canned goods, including veggie and vegan items.

I found a local supplier. We needed a few essentials to tide us over until the supermarket order arrives in 10 days time, so I have ordered a fruit and veg box (happy to take pot luck), milk and eggs, plus that essential to go with the pasta we have hoarded – tinned tomatoes. They say they will deliver it on Monday which is great!

Please note

We have been in full self-isolation since 16th March to protect my husband whose immune system is compromised.

If you are in self-isolation then join the Lib Dems in self-isolation Facebook group.

You can find my previous Isolation diaries here.

* Mary Reid is a contributing editor on Lib Dem Voice. She was a councillor in Kingston upon Thames, where she is still very active with the local party, and is the Hon President of Kingston Lib Dems.