The denizens of Ambridge sample some new cooking

Radio Times: Lexi proves a source of inspiration

Characters: Elizabeth, Ian, Jill, Kirsty, Lexi, Pip, Ruth

• Ian is well and truly down in the dumps. Bookings at Grey Gables restaurant are down, and Roy’s idea of 2 for 1 does not appeal to Ian’s creative side. He asks Kirsty whether he ought to apologise to Roy for rubbishing his suggestion, but Kirsty advises him to leave well alone. Talk turns to Ian’s hope for a surrogate, and when Ian manages to make a clumsy comment about parenthood, Kirsty assures him that just getting on with life is the answer to its problems.
• Lexi appears. She has two tickets for the opening night at Les Soeurs Hereuses, but Roy has arranged to see Mike, so she has no-one to go with. Would Ian like to come and spy on the opposition? Not really, it seems, but with some encouragement from Kirsty, he finally agrees.
• Elizabeth and Jill discuss the twins’ eighteenth birthday. Elizabeth is so busy with Deck the Halls that she hasn’t given it much thought, and has few ideas about presents, especially for Freddie, whose only interest seems to be hanging around at college with Noluthando. Jill suggests asking him to take on a particular responsibility at Deck the Halls. As talk turns to the restaurant opening, Jill is forced to tell Elizabeth why Chris won’t be there.
• Ruth finds Pip, and as usual probes into Pip’s evening with Alfie. Jill arrives; Peggy thinks she should stay home with Chris, so she has no-one to go to the restaurant opening with. Would Ruth or Pip like to come? Ruth is ferrying the ever-silent Ben to the cinema and Pip is far too tired.
• Ian begins the evening in monosyllabic silence, but soon cheers up as he and Lexi discuss the decor and a wonderfully presented starter arrives. By the end of the evening he is positively animated. Jill, too, is in good spirits, giggling with Kirsty about Brian and Jennifer being given the worst seats.
• Johnny returns some borrowed kit to Brookfield, and asks when David will be picking Tony up for the fat-stock show. Tony has to stay home for the parlour engineer. Pip’s tiredness miraculously leaves her, and she is quick to say she will come. She is even quicker to start texting, which is the cue for Ruth to ask who the recipient might be. She might have guessed; it’s Alfie, who ‘just mentioned’ that he was going, so Pip will suggest having lunch with him.