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I was up horribly early on Sunday cooking for a group of 20 Spanish students who my wife had invited because they'd just arrived in the Birmingham as part of an exchange scheme involving Birmingham City University, where she works.

It was an impressive spread - bruchetta of white bean puree with garlic and rosemary, bruchetta with roasted tomato and anchovy, smoked salmon and horseradish on dark bread, a couple of onions tarts and good quality cocktail sausages.

When they got out their camera phones, I glowed with pride. Then they started taking snapshots of the log fire I'd lit in the dining room.