Good on
your own.
A good meal. A small outing.
An evening that feels like yours.
It’s six o’clock. You open the fridge, look in, and close it again.
If someone were coming over, you’d probably have a plan. With just you to think about, dinner can become whatever creates the fewest dishes.
Some evenings, that suits you perfectly. On others, you’d quite like a proper meal and something pleasant to look forward to.
This issue is for those evenings.
Whether you live on your own, have the house to yourself for a night, or simply fancy doing something at your own pace, there is room for a little more enjoyment.
A good dinner. An outing you don’t have to organise around anyone else. And an invitation, when company would be welcome.
Make yourself
something good.
Golden mushrooms, eggs and toast. One pan, one person, about fifteen minutes. Add another slice of toast or some tomatoes alongside if you fancy more.
You’ll need
- 100 g mushrooms, sliced
- 1 tsp olive oil
- A handful of baby spinach
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 1–2 slices of wholegrain bread
- Black pepper; lemon if you have it
Here’s how
Get some colour. Heat the oil in a small non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and softened.
Add the greens. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted. Put your bread in the toaster.
Make it dinner. Turn the heat down. Pour in the eggs and gently fold them through the mushrooms until completely set. Spoon onto the toast. Add pepper and a squeeze of lemon if you like.
Put it on a plate. Sit somewhere you like. The good plate is allowed on an ordinary Tuesday.
Make the next meal easier, too.
Bread by the slice. Freeze what you won’t use while it is fresh. Take out the slices you need, rather than working your way through a loaf because it is there.
Give the extra an address. Before buying a big bag or cooking a second portion, decide where the rest will go: tomorrow’s lunch, another dish, or the freezer. A smaller pack can be the better buy if you use it all.
Follow pack instructions. Keep perishable food at 5°C or colder. Cool cooked food quickly in shallow containers in the fridge, and reheat leftovers until piping hot. Food safety guidance ↗
Go somewhere
you’d like to be.
You see something you’d enjoy, then start wondering who might come. This time, you could put it in the diary while you still feel like going.
If going on your own feels unfamiliar, give yourself an easy first outing.
Pick something with a built-in purpose.
A library visit, one gallery room, a matinee or a café with a book. Having something to do can make the first few minutes easier. Choose somewhere you are already curious about.
Make the practical decisions first.
Check opening hours, the cost, transport and any access needs. Pick a time and decide how you will get home. That leaves less to work out at the door.
Have one sentence ready.
At a café, “A table for one, please” is all you need. If you prefer a window seat or a quieter corner, ask for it. You don’t owe anyone an explanation.
Keep the first visit small.
One coffee, one exhibition room, twenty minutes browsing. You can stay longer if you are enjoying yourself, or head home when you have had enough.
Notice what you would repeat.
Was it the quiet, the view, the book, the friendly person at the counter? Keep that detail. It gives your next outing a starting point.
Your pace.
Your kind of company.
There is room for both: doing things at your own pace and enjoying someone else’s company. You don’t have to turn either into a rule.
If you would like someone along, make the invitation easy to picture. Name a place, a day and a small amount of time.
“I’m going to the library on Thursday, then getting a coffee around eleven. Fancy joining me for half an hour?”
If the answer is no, you can still have the outing you planned. Try another day with them if you want to.
And when a quiet night is what you fancy, give it a little shape. Cook the thing you like. Put on the album you haven’t heard in ages. Watch the film without negotiating the choice.
You don’t have to fill every spare hour. Choose one small thing that would make this one more enjoyable.
That is a perfectly good plan.
A small plan for me.
Choose one thing to start with. Save the card, jot down your idea and give it a place in the week.
A meal I would look forward to, with what I need to make it.
A place, a day and a time. Small is fine.
Optional. A name and one clear invitation.
A book, a record, a film, a project — something I choose.
If someone came to mind while you were reading, pass this issue along. A dinner idea or an easy outing can be a lovely thing to share.
See you along the way,
Greg
Founder, Mates on the Way
Checked 1 October 2026. Recipe, outing ideas and planning card are original Mates suggestions. Meal planning and storage guidance draw on the sources above.