This column is one year old, and I didn’t even bake it a cake. But the anniversary has prompted various thoughts and reflections, three of which may be of passing interest.

Thought No 1: Going green in the kitchen needn’t drive you crazy. For example, it is much easier, faster and more environmentally friendly to cook steaks or chops in a lidded frying pan than under the grill. Once you’ve become accustomed to cooking this way (which may take a brief spell of posting mental reminders to self), you’ll stop missing the grill. You may even find that you hardly use it at all.

Thought No 2: You should break any Green Kitchen rule if misery is the alternative. A good example here is baking potatoes, an energy-intensive business. Pre-heating the oven to 200C/Gas 6 and then baking for 75 minutes – that’s a lot of power for just one item of gustatory ecstasy. Normally, I would never advise this unless you planned to cook something else in the oven at the same time, but sometimes, especially for those who eat on their own, a baked potato is all you want to eat. You can reduce the carbon footprint by putting the spud in the microwave for five minutes at the start, which will cut out up to 30 minutes of cooking time in the oven. A combination microwave incorporating an oven is smaller in size and makes for lower-energy baking.

You are occasionally allowed to break the Green Kitchen rules, even without those measures. As long as the big picture is correct, you shouldn’t go nuts by demanding perfection. Bake that potato if you’d suffer without it.

Thought No 3: Spread the word. If you’ve adopted greener habits, tell friends and family about them. Help to create a community of Green Kitchenistas. If you think of yourself as part of a bigger community, you’ll never be alone – even if it’s only you in the kitchen, with the radio on.

greenkitchen@thetimes.co.uk

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