Meatloaf for Fore!

If all you've got time for is a practice putt on the living-room floor, then you might just need a simple dish. So here's one of my favourite pars for four, or more - Meatloaf for Fore!

Yes, I know that there's a crazy cow leaping about in Europe, but kangaroo meat or Argentine beef can be a substitute if you're game. Just try it, like that new swing ...

Let's hit off now .... with one kilo of meat for four persons. Buy ready minced or mince a kilo or have it minced at the butcher's and put that meat in a bowl. If it's frozen, don't defrost in the microwave, but just let it loosen up under cover. You can put it in a bowl in the morning, go do your Christmas shopping, ogle that new driver in the pro shop, maybe, and by late afternoon your meat should be ready.

You can keep your cap on while you take a medium-sized onion and chop it up fine. Hey, take off that golf glove and wash your hands! Mix the onion together with a teaspoon or so of Marjoram herb into the meat. If you like garlic and your guests don't mind, then mix in a crushed clove as well. Now put that meat bowl aside.

If you live round Geneva or in France, you're bound to have some stale baguette bread. No! Don't practise your swing with it. Just break it up into the size of two bread rolls and break those two pieces up further and put them in another bowl. Now add a bit of milk and let the bread soak. (Do not use white sliced bread, the sort you toast - it's too sweet for this number.) When the bread is nice and soft, squeeze out as much of the moisture as you can and with your hands mix it into the meat mix. Now add two eggs. OK, you can use a large wooden spoon, but no swing practise please, you're in the kitchen now. Back to mixing - add a teaspoon or so of salt, then pepper the lot and either knead with your hands, or that spoon if you must.

When you've got a nice mass you can hold in both hands form it into a loaf and pat it all over with breadcrumbs. Then put it into a baking dish. Oops, forgot to judge the lie of the land - hope you smeared a bit of margarine or butter around the sides and on the bottom of the dish. Good. Now put your loaf gently, easy does it, into the dish.

Bet you're ready for a break now.

Put the dish in the oven at 200 degrees or level 6/7 and let it bake for an hour. While it's baking you can go back to practising your putting, but don't forget to set your timer.

You can check out if your loaf is done by sticking into it with - no, not a tee - a thin knitting needle (ask the golf widow if she can lend you one) or a pointed chopstick. If nothing sticks to the knitting needle or the chopstick, your loaf is done. If something sticks, then give it another 15 minutes.

Serve your meatloaf with rice and green salad and potato salad (I've got a good recipe for potato salad somewhere in my golfbag - I'll get it out for the 2001 series). The loaf is also good cold. You can slice it and serve with gherkins. Goes well with beer and wine.