Nobody wants to prepare a meal for family or guests which makes them ill. Not if you like them anyway. But sell by, use by and best before dates are really a pain, because some people who know no better actually discard good food. What a waste but then we now live in a society where we are encouraged to waste things and buy again. This is the corporate society, so named because most executives involved have an excessive corporality.

It can work both ways of course. Tinned food, for instance, might have a date on it three years hence but if the tin is bulging at the ends it certainly should be discarded or returned. Other items may be perfectly good well past any date they may carry. The matter is really common sense and there is no general rule. Fresh mussells should be cooked and eaten right away but jam that has been left for a time opened and has a bit of mould on top is fine provided the mould and top layer is removed. Remember mould only grows in air and the product underneath is perfectly edible and without any deterioration of taste. Flour, if kept properly will last a long time, but discard it if it contains weevils and sort your storage systems out.

It is some time since I devoted this column to an item purely vegetarian. Boxty is a traditional dish and variations of these receipts may be found throughout Ireland, these particular ones come from County Cavan.

Wash and peel the raw potatoes and grate them onto a clean linen knapkin or similar cloth. Wring them tightly over a basin, catching all the liquid. Put the now grated potatoes into another basin and over them the mashed cooked potatoes.

Pour off the water from the liquid and scrape off the starch and add it to the potatoes. Sieve the flour, salt and bicarbonate over the potatoes and mix these very well together. Now make a well in the middle of the mixture and add enough milk to make a batter of dropping consistency. Beat well with an egg beater. Leave for a few minutes.

In a hot griddle or cast iron pan melt quite a lot of lard. Drop in the batter in spoonsful. When set and brown underneath, turn and brown the other side. Butter and serve hot with sugar.

Wash and peel the raw potatoes and grate into a linen cloth as for the pancakes. Similarly wring them out and catch the liquid. Likewise put them in a bowl and add the mashed potatoes. Leave the reserved liquid for a bit until the starch has sunk, then pour off the water and add the starch to the mixture. Mix well and and add the sieved flour and condiments. Mix well again then make a well in the centre and add the melted butter.

Knead, roll out and cut into cakes. Put them on a a greased baking tray in a moderate to hot oven for about 40 minutes. Split into two, butter and serve hot.