MR BENN ain’t got nothing on me.

RUNNING on empty after a frantic “holiday clothes” dash round the shops, the Filling Station sounded just right.

SETTLING down for yet another feast of football at the Euro championships, the last thing on my mind was cooking.

AS AN old curry hand it’s rare for me to find myself flummoxed as to how to eat an Indian dish.

SHOE shopping. I hate shoe shopping.

MEMO to self: never play football after eating a Chinese takeaway – particularly from the Slow Boat.

WITH just a week to go before my pal ties the knot, we escaped wedding duties for a quiet meal and natter.

I MUST take my dad out for lunch more often.

WHEN I first picked up Saigon’s takeaway menu my heart almost stopped when I saw the prices.

FOR a new restaurant, Fusion really does make you work hard to book a table.

EATING out should be a divine experience. But too often you face grey food hell on the bar and pub scene.

SINCE my new kitchen was installed a couple of weeks ago I’ve used any excuse not to mess up my shiny worktops.

PAPER? Pah. Gunpowder? Don’t make me chuckle.

HERE was the deal: I could watch the football if I took The Boss out for tea.

WITH a friend heading to America for the summer I decided a good send-off was in order.

THERE must be some Italian blood running around my veins somewhere.

EVER since I packed by bags and left my dear parents, roast dinners have proved somewhat thin on the ground.

WHAT is it about kitchens, that at least one drawer must contain semi-dead batteries, pegs, Christmas cracker gifts and dog-eared takeaway menus?

THE world has its eye on Balmedie at the moment.

WITH the sun out and the yellow on the broom it was a fine day to renew an old acquaintance.

MY FRIEND had been hitting the books big time for an exam and deserved a treat.

CAN good food and drink bring about world peace?

IT WAS a very busy Sunday evening when my husband and I dropped into the Ferryhill House Hotel pub for a quick bite.

AS THE usual row rumbled on over what type of takeaway to choose ... ay caramba! ... I suddenly remembered that I had a menu for the new Mexican grill in the city centre.

STANDING on the main road to Deeside, The Bieldside has offered a welcome stopping place for many a weary traveller over the years.

MY LITTLE brother was staying with me for the weekend, which apparently meant I had to supply him with food.

IT WAS a real touch of nostalgia as my husband and I sat down to eat in the Cloverleaf lounge bar.

GOOD service in a relaxed atmosphere, with cracking food – it’s the recipe for the perfect evening out.

AFTER admitting I’d never had a proper kebab despite hitting my first half century a while ago, my husband was determined to rectify this culinary lapse.

WITH a friend coming round for dinner and with cooking skills like mine, a takeaway is not an option – it’s a necessity.

ON A week night my fella and I were off to watch a concert.

PARTY crowds come to Aberdeen’s fun-loving Italian restaurant for a good knees up – including table-top dancing.

TUCKED away at the end of a quiet, Aberdeen lane lies a restaurant like no other.

SHOPPING, I hate it, and the January sales just make it worse.

RENOVATION work on buildings is not usually something that holds my interest.

FOYER AT HMT: Rosemount Viaduct, Aberdeen

IT STARTED many moons ago – and I still can’t shake it off. The “Meal C” habit, that is.

MENTION Blue Moon to my dad and he is likely to burst into song, trying to carry the tune like Frank Sinatra.

AFTER all the fun and frolics of New Year there’s always the grinding reality that we’ve still got a long winter ahead of us.

THE Boss has raved about the Dutch Mill for ages, so I thought it was finally time to give it a shot myself.

TAPAS is possibly the perfect food for a social evening.

About £15? Or £20? Or would you even go so far as high as £25?

AS NAMES go The Noose and Monkey is up there with the more bizarre.

OKAY, I have to admit I was less than impressed when my husband suggested The Howff for our supper.

SO THE Gallagher brothers, Paul Lawrie and Scotland The What? have all dined there.

THE bargain hunter in me loves pre-theatre meal deals.

EVERY so often my beloved’s four-year-old and I head off to feed the ducks.

FOR a family meal this place has it all.

EATING at the Prince of Wales is like going back in time.

EVERY so often you just need to spend a Sunday relaxing – every seven days or so in my case.

MY COUSIN and her Spanish boyfriend were in town and I promised to show them the best of the North-east.

BELMONT Street is a hive of activity on weekend nights thanks to its mix of stylish bars and night clubs.

AS A new recruit to Aberdeen I was keen to sample a few eateries.

GOLF. It’s been every-where this past week or so.

IT’S hard to get back into a routine after the fun of the festive season.

AFTER a hard week’s work, with an impending visit from my younger sibling the last thing I felt like was hauling out all the pots and pans to make a slap-up meal.

DESPITE living only five minutes away from Yu, I’d never noticed it did takeaways until recently.

AN EVENING spent in the company of my friend Lesley usually involves a takeaway – less time spent cooking means more time spent chatting!

TUCKED away in the suburbs this hidden treasure is an oasis.

THERE is no better way to spend a nice relaxing day off than heading out for a pub lunch.

WE WERE looking for American diner-style food with the atmosphere to go with it.

THE Illicit Still has always been one of my favourite pubs, so it made a fine after-work venue for a quick bite.

AFTER what seemed like days of constant rain, we needed cheering up.

AFTER a fair bit of monkeying around in the shops, I persuaded my girlfriend it was lunch time.

MY FAVOURITE day of the month had arrived – pay day.

I HAVE a confession to make.