CA's mix powder which I started with years ago had garlic powder in it.

Wow, reminds me of some magic mushrooms I took back in the 80s.

You were doing well until the last point

I'd cook 4 double portions of curry, or better still work on your technique and do 8 single portions of 4 different curries. Work on a planning for the week, get your chicken tikka marinading on Wednesday, cooked on Thursday. Dhal cooked in advance.

I've cooked many times for 8 or more and I prefer to have nothing to do on curry night...except frying poppadums, chopping onions, making onion bhajis, cooking bread, hoovering, buying booze....

I'd ideally get all the curry cooking finished the day before, sometimes I do half one night, half the next.

Make 4 curries that look and taste different. In my experience people claim not to like it too hot, but then leave all the creamy sweet dishes and scoff the spicy stuff.

Looking good. Tomorrow I'm doing Prawn tom yam, Holy basil and chilli chicken plus my new discovery morning glory with crispy pork. I'll try to remember to get some photos.

After a fair bit of trial and error I settled on a  stonewear or stoneline wok with a flat bottom. It also has a glass lid which comes in handy. Not sure of the exact brand as I'm not at home.

And who's 'they'?

I love the Viceroy precooked chicken, but I also found that it was far too 'tasty' to be used in more basic curries. In my case this was a 'Madras', but I wouldn't use it in a Vindaloo either. I reserve it for the occassional 'chef's special'.

I'm fairly sure I followed the recipe as directed, but maybe it's less potent on a larger scale.

I'll also be sowing in February. If this year is as hot as last year in Paris I might even get some chillis. Half will be going to the brother-in-law who has a mate with a greenhouse (and green fingers). Mine will start the year in my missus' office window and return home in late spring.

I hope someone gets at least 1 decent plant from each set of seeds. I also have 2 scotch bonnet plants which gave me one whole chilli between them, not bad considering I was going to chuck 'em the year before. They are nice and bushy now, be nice to get something from them.

For Christmas I got the following seeds:-
Dorset Naga
Hungarian hot wax
Thunder mountain chinese
Cherry bomb
7 pot white
Trinidad smooth

Have a good one everyone. I'm already in my favourite place, cooking as usual