It was the perfect time to experiment with another one of the Baked mixes – brownies this time. I felt like baking but didn’t have a lot of time or energy. These are easy – melt a LOT of butter with the package of chocolate chips that come in the box, add four eggs and the dry mix.

I brought them to work and people kept stopping in my office saying how good they are. A couple of people asked for the recipe – I’m not too proud to tell them they were from a box, because these are that good. Fudgy, not cakey, and you’d never guess they’re from a mix. They contain good-quality chocolate and the usual ingredients you’d expect from a homemade brownie.

• Deep Dark Chocolate Brownie Mix (Williams-Sonoma)