Sausages and lentils, wagtail, soap

Giuseppi, from whom we buy some chunky Italian sausages, presents us with the hock end of a parma ham. To go with the sausages, we braise Puy lentils, flavoured with finely chopped and sauted shallots , a clove of garlic and a touch of chopped chilli, in some left over chicken stock. We add the hock to the lentils, grill the sausages, and unite the two parts of this simple dish on a serving plate, the lentils made unctious with a little of the fat from the sausages.

I love the swooping flight of the wagtail. If I were a bird that is how I would fly.

In a restaurants gents, I note one of those plastic bottles with a spout and a handle to pump liquid soap onto your hand. The label describes the soap as "white cranberry and coconut".