I loathe stock cube flavour so much so that I went and bought a chicken on Saturday so I could make fresh stock for my risotto. It's mostly the 'salt' content I think but just tastes fake.

I made good use of my chicken; cut off the breasts for the freezer, cooked the carcass (with thighs/legs) for stock. Pulled the cooked 'poached' meat off the bones, used some in risotto and rest in various sandwiches.

Interesting variety in Italian recipes. My mother is from Lazio and our sugo for lasagne is quite different - no sausage, less puree and more tomatoes and no water, garlic rather than onion and a good splash of wine. I always feel the trick for a good lasagne is to have the sugo wetter than you'd have it for a bolognese so that it stays moist.