Have a cooking spree some time over the weekend, prepare meals for the week - and freeze them.

Hearty stews, Italian pasta dishes, chicken and beef casseroles - they all freeze well and make life easier throughout your busy week.

It doesn’t hurt to order in once in a while, either. But take the time to remove it from the tell-tale boxes and serve it attractively.

Make good use of all those kitchen accessories you get when you marry.

The coffee maker that can be set ahead of time, cappuccino maker, microwave, grill, breadmaker and its timer, steamer, juice extractor, crock pot, food processor. Keep them accessible and use them often. They make life easier.

You don’t want to eat the same food every day, so why should you look at the same old table setting every day? If you’re eating Mexican one night, it will just take seconds to whip out a multi-coloured, woven table runner (if you have had the foresight to stock a variety of table toppers). If you’re eating Italian, use a bright, checked tablecloth.

Even your table centres can change. If you have picked up a small pot of fresh flowers at the beginning of the week, have a variety of interesting vases it can sit in, from terra cotta to glass to patterned china.

A clever bride told us that she set up shelves in the basement of her home which she oftened referred to as her ‘store.’ She goes downstairs to ‘shop’ for the accessories she needs to make the statement she wants. Over a couple of years of married life, she has collected a range of options that is the envy of her friends.

Enjoy a glass of wine and some good conversation before you even think about dinner. Every couple needs time to sit quietly and share the minutae that filled their day.

…and then you will be in the mood for whatever comes next and whatever comes naturally. Dinner is just the prelude.