Darina Allen: Comforting recipes I'm turning to while recovering from a knee replacement

I’ve been practising what I preach: Using food as my medicine.

This porridge is a wonderful way to add pep to your step, full of vitamins and minerals.

This week, a more personal column. I’m somewhat incapacitated at present, recovering from a knee replacement. As I write it’s been three weeks to the day since my operation. Fortunately, I sailed blissfully into it without realising that it is in fact a major operation — how naive can you be? In many ways, that was a bonus because I didn’t fret too much ahead of time, just delighted to remedy my banjaxed, constantly aching knee.

After three days, I arrived home from hospital with a bag of painkillers and reams of physio instructions. I hate physio but know it must be done. Everybody tells me cheerfully that I’ll be a ‘new woman’ with a new lease of life in three or four months’ time. I certainly hope they’re right.