I do try to ring the changes with the recipes that I schedule in for a week - and blog - but some are just too good to wait – like this Harissa lamb in flatbreads.

I'm not sure where I got the idea for this dish from, to be honest. I think I can remember seeing something on TV where hummus was used as a base within a pitta bread which then had other bits heaped on top, but for the life of me I can't remember which programme.

Like a lot of life, these days, it is just a blur. I'm lucky if I can remember my own name, some days!

Flatbreads have been popular on the TV just recently, having been featured on Celebrity MasterChef at least twice - and it's there that I got the idea to use flatbreads instead of pitta bread.

Before I committed myself to the flatbread idea (and, I hasten to add, I had no intention of making them - not this time, anyway - so apologies if you were hoping for a flatbread recipe) I checked via the online shopper interface whether my local supermarket sold them - and it turned out that it does!

Now I like pitta bread, but I do find them to be hard work some days. Very often, even after heating, they refuse to open properly and you wind up with your filling more "on" them than "in" them. Plus, they seem to go very leathery and/or hard when they cool down, which is okay if you want to exercise your jaw muscles - but I can do that by talking. What? ~innocent look~

Flatbreads, however, have no pocket. It's a simple matter of filling and folding them in half - much the same as a sandwich. They are also delightfully light and fluffy.

Apart from the North African flavours (which are just fabulous), the very best thing about this dish is the simplicity with which it comes together. There really is just the one cooking process to do - the preparation of the mince - and the rest is just assembly.

For the mince, I used a little 90g pot of Harissa paste. Now I've used dry Harissa in the past and not been terribly impressed by it - it seemed a bit pale pink in flavour, whereas I was expecting some deep, big flavours.

Well, it would appear that Harissa has come a long way since I first played with it - as this one contained rose petals, red peppers, smoked paprika, cumin, coriander and caraway and was wonderfully flavoured with all the big, rich, deep combinations that I had given up on.

I also put together a home made Tzatziki - cucumber in Greek Yoghurt, with fresh chopped mint and some seasoning - and the combination was perfect for dipping one corner of your flatbread into.

Some marinated beetroot, cherry tomatoes and feta cheese added a lovely zing to the dish. Spicy mince, warm soft flatbread, creamy cool yoghurt and zingy beetroot - I'm beginning to sound like Greg Wallace!

Go to my website where you’ll find the recipe for this delightful combination.

Now, just as an aside, have you ever heard of a dog who liked crystallised ginger? Well you have now. Our Jack Russell, Basil, really really likes “gingers” (as they have come to be known). The first time we bought some (for an occasional nibble, you know how it goes), he was most insistent that he’d like one, thank you very much.

You must understand that we aren’t normally in the habit of feeding crystallised ginger to our dogs, it’s just that he insisted. Okay, he jumped up and down and wagged and whined. What’s a girl to do?

Because – and only because – I was sure he’d turn his nose up at it, I offered him a teensy sliver from a piece – and it disappeared. With alacrity. He jumped all about the place and looked about as revved up as a Jack Russell on crystallised ginger could – and asked for more.

More because I couldn’t believe the first time than any desire to fill him full of pep-inducing ginger, I gave him another little sliver. Which followed the first – accompanied by much revving up and jumping around!

He has now become so committed a crystallised ginger vacuum, that we have to keep the packet on a high shelf (okay, he’s a Jack Russell, so not that high a shelf) and nibble in secret.

I once had a lurcher dog, who would insist on a cup of tea and marmite soldiers for breakfast. Hang on, you don’t suppose it’s just that I’m a soft touch, do you?