4 heaped tablespoons of butter

4 heaped tablespoons of plain flour

2 cans (425g) of tuna in brine/spring water (John West)

1 brown onion sliced

200g peas and corn

600mL milk

water

salt

pepper

Melt the butter, add in the onion, once fragrant add in the flour, mix well. Quickly add the milk to make white sauce, stirring until all the flour is dissolved, adding in as required to consistency needed.

Then pop in the tuna, peas and corn mix well and simmer on low heat until warmed through. If too thick add more water, if too thin then reduce.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Serve with rice.

I learnt how to make this dish from Alison, a physiotherapist, a bright and bubbly girl with a love for horses all those years ago in the nurses’ home.

The home was a separate wing, attached to the hospital by a set of lifts. The residents were all of the allied health variety and medical students on rotations.

For $50 a week (1993) we all had our own room big enough for a single bed and a study bench. The kitchen was shared as was the shower block.

Our TV room consisted of a black and white TV on legs with knobs with one to two channels accessible at a time. Our laundry? we had a twin tub and a drying cupboard, an absolute luxury in Winter.

It was where we shared fond memories of groceries trips, pub meals, pool, a curry buffet, aerobics, seeing Barnsey a metre away in all of his sweat and glory.

As for the name pigs’ porridge? it came from hubby. He said it looks like pigs’ porridge so now I cook it just for him for when he’s naughty. As the saying goes happy wife happy life..miserable wife..pigs’ porridge.