Introducing "B-Day": Bacon Jam, Batman and Love2Eat Bingo

I think we're probably all familiar with the term "D-Day", a phrase which originated from the invasion of Normandy during World War II and which has now come to mean any important or significant occasion. Well, I now propose adding a new phrase to the English lexicon in the form of "B-Day", a term which shall come to mean "a day on which really, really good stuff happens, but that stuff must only begin with a B, or it doesn't count, not as a B-Day anyway". I admit the definition probably needs a little refinement before the OED will accept it, but to illustrate this thrilling new concept, I offer Friday 20th July as an example of a wholly successful "B-Day".

1. Stay in BED awhile, and read a BOOK. Self explanatory this one, really.

2. Have BACON JAM on toast for lunch. The fact that "bacon jam" now has its own, well-used hashtag on Twitter just goes to show how love of porcine goodness is sweeping the nation - I even had an exemplary helping of this sweet-yet-salty, sticky-yet-sturdy product on sourdough toast at Solita this week. The fact that I was able to have it at home is thanks to a lovely friend who MAKES it - she guards the recipe most assiduously, but we do occasionally have clandestine meets where she hands over samples of the good stuff in anonymous, unmarked containers; my God it's good. You can see it here, but you can't have any of it.

3. Go to the cinema to watch BATMAN, the, erm, Bark Knight Rises. Now, you wouldn't normally get me anywhere near a film that lasts 146 minutes, and I must admit that since following October Jones' immense "Tweets from my Dog" on Twitter I can't take this franchise entirely seriously, thanks to a perpetual image of a dog in a cape going "I'm BATDOG, LOL". However, in honour of "B-Day", I went - out of professionalism, and not because the film has Christian Bale and Aidan Gillen in or because Mr Liz bought me a giant bag of Peanut M & Ms. Oh, the film is v. good by the way *carefully places tick next to "film review skills demonstrated: check"*

4. Go to the BINGO. The third Friday of every month is now Bingo Night at Love2Eat Deli on BURTON Road in West Didsbury, an event that has run occasionally in the past but will now be a regular fixture. If you quite fancy the idea of bingo but are, like me, terrified by your own mental image of a fleet of colossally aggressive old ladies, staring, gimlet-eyed, at a whole raft of different cards at which they regularly jab with a spring-loaded, pimped up super-dabber, then this is for you - nice people, in a nice restaurant, eating nice food and doing just a little gentle dabbing on the side.

Obviously that doesn't mean we don't play to win. I didn't win ANYTHING, but a steely-faced Mr Liz, grimly concentrating on his game card with a fervour I've not seen him apply to ANY other area of his life, was a winner not once, but twice, scooping dinner for two and a bottle of wine of his choice (by a huge stroke of fortune, he went for pink Prosecco, which coincidentally is MY favourite wine as well). Even if you don't win, and spend the night smiling graciously through gritted teeth and begrudgingly applauding the winners, there is much good-value fun to be had here - deals change regularly, but last night we each had three courses for £20 a head (including bingo). The food here is simple but good, allowing a choice from a small selection of daily specials: I went for Cornish crab cakes for starters, while Mr Liz broke with tradition and had - oh - PIE, this time in the guise of a generous Ploughman's.

For mains, I went for the BBQ chicken with loaded potato skins and homemade coleslaw - succulent, boneless rolls of skin-on chicken, secured with cocktail sticks and with a jug of sweet, tangy sauce on the side. And I'm a SUCKER for homemade coleslaw. Meanwhile, Mr Liz was enjoying spicy slow cooked ribs with a warm salad of roasted new potatoes and tarragon - I show you a picture of it on the plate here, rather than round his mouth, which is where it soon ended up.

Puddings were not strictly necessary, particularly since the bingo was just starting up by this point, but for the sake of completeness, I had strawberry Eton mess, and Mr Liz had Dandelion and Burdock cake - pastry fork in one hand, dabber poised in the other. And add to this the best "B" of all - BRINGING your own wine or beer is positively welcomed here, although you can also choose from the excellent wine list (or indeed, simply sit with a man who is winning items from it). Love2Eat is a gem, and a fitting end to any triumphant "B-Day".