To Die For Chorizo Butter

Chorizo butter - two of the most delicious things in the world, rolled into one. Chorizo butter is a flavour packed spread that can be slathered on sandwiches or it could top a hot baked potato. Do not resist this-go out and make this wonderful spread! I promise you won't look back with regrets. Pinky swear...

Now that I've told you about something appetising I have to change the subject. I don't want to put you off you food or drink but we recently had an intruder in our apartment. It wasn't a human intruder. It was a mouse.

Now I actually don't really have a fear of mice. Face gnawing rats yes but mice don't deliver me into shaking like huntsmen spiders or snakes (just the thought makes me dry retch). Mice, yes they are pesky when they die because they stink up the house (or so I am told) but I actually wanted a pet mouse when I was little.

"Did you see that?" Mr NQN asked. "It was a mouse!".

"You need to find a mouse trap!" I said to Mr NQN eyeing the time. It was 7pm and the hardware store was going to shut.

"Naaah," said Mr NQN. "I'll fix it," he said with some determination. He put up some barriers to prevent Mickey from going into the bedrooms and then researched ways to humanely catch a mouse. I crawled into bed with Mochi (the poor girl's eyesight isn't good enough to spot a mouse so she wasn't our mouse trap) and over the next couple of hours I heard Mr NQN sliding open drawers, moving things and constructing something.

He came into the bedroom, his eyes shining excitedly. I rarely see him this excited, "Mon cheri I have built two mouse traps!" he said excitedly. And he then went on to describe how each would work barely pausing for a breath. He reminded me of a kid that had just thought of a genius way to foil a cat burglar with tape and foam or something.

I realised that's exactly how I sounded when I talked about this chorizo butter. You see it is such an easy thing to make, especially if you choose your favourite cured chorizo (it must be cured) and butter (I used Pepe Saya). Bake or buy some fresh bread to go with it and it's the perfect picnic spread too. Or just eat it in bed while your husband builds a trap to catch a mouse.

So tell me Dear Reader, what is your number one creature fear? Have you ever had a mouse in your house and did you traps work?

P.S. Mr NQN's traps didn't catch the mouse and neither did the commercial traps I bought two days after. We never saw Mickey again.

Chorizo Butter

An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 0 minutes

• 250g/8.3ozs. salted butter, softened
• 1 chorizo (cured, not raw), roughly chopped
• 1/2 clove garlic, peeled
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon smoked paprika

Step 1 - Blend all ingredients together. Scoop out the butter onto a square of parchment paper and roll up. Serve on freshly toasted bread or over baked potatoes or vegetables. This lasts for as long as the chorizo is good for or you can also freeze it.