Morning all. Overcast this morning, so no overnight frost. Strange weekend when there is no Watford to think about, and my French team are also taking a rest. I think that some small amounts of essentials are required, and I wonder if any of the special offer on that decent red is still available? The garden centres are now fully stocked with plants, but without some protection I wouldn't be planting some of them out. I suspect that they make money just replacing plants that have been killed off with the cold.
Got called back to pre op today, my blood count was poor and needs to be improved or I can't have the op due to the risk of heart attack
Hang on in there Dave. They can sort that. When are you off to Norwich? My niece got back at 3:30 am this morning after a massive delay due to a strike by French air traffic controllers. She thought she may get sent back from Stanstead to Norwich and nothing would have made her happier. I'll see her tomorrow when she comes down from Madrid. I'll get her to tell me all about Norwich, but in English of course How cruel. Actually they have trouble,the Spanish, pronouncing Norwich and Norfolk. I thought at first that she was going to Norway I'll see if 5 days has changed that.
Sorry to hear that Dave but as kc says it is good they are monitoring you so they can fix it before your op is due.
When I was a kid I used to love liver and bacon, with meaty gravy. Never buy it these days. Plenty of liver here in southern Spain but the bacon is crep and the spanish folks aren't into liver. I have however converted them to cauliflower cheese As for Norfolk I'd go a Cromer crab but doubt there's much iron in that What about you OFH? Have you introduced any english cuisine to your locals or is English an anathema to the french?
We sometimes have liver and bacon - very nice so long as it is lamb's liver. Cauliflower cheese should be converted over a rugby bar - marginally better than mushy peas.
mmmm Edmund I'm going to have to defend cauliflower cheese here. I know especially in the past (especially in schools) that cauliflower was often cooked to a pulp and no doubt cauliflower cheese can be badly prepared. But cauliflower cheese can never be compared to the green paste northern chip shops pump out. For a start, beyond cauliflower we are talking lots of high quality Danish. We are talking green and red peppers, red onion. We are talking a good stock (with garlic, herbs and spices). Then a mature cheddar cheese sauce (note sauce, not a few grattings) with half a teaspoon of good old english mustard.. Ground black pepper. A crispy goldentop. How can you compare that to a small bucket of green sludge I rest my case
Ah, food. One of my favourite subjects. Last night I had cauliflower cheese followed with mincemeat tart and Birds custard. Our cauliflowers come from Normandy. The Brittany Ferries company came about simply to get fresh cauliflowers to the UK quickly. We did have some extra strong Cheddar cheese as the only similar one here is a Cantal Entre Deux, along with some Parmesan. Lovely fresh French bread to mop up the sauce. The mincemeat tart was made with some Robertsons mincemeat that is available from a warehouse that sells an amazing range of things from food and wine, to building materials. Today I bought some lambs liver that will be served up with bacon and shallot sauce along with rice. The traditional cuts of bacon such as back are not available unless you go to an 'English' shop where everything is hugely expensive. Streaky bacon slices are available, both smoked and natural. They are French, not Danish, as most things on sale are displaying blue, white and red tricolours. I have also bought the first French strawberries that appeared in the supermarket today. Spanish ones have been available for weeks, but have little flavour by comparison. We did invite our French neighbours to a traditional Sunday roast. They were completely at sea having vegetables on the same plate as the roast beef. Despite setting the table with all the necessary knifes, forks and spoons, my friend Bernard reached into his pocket and brought out his pocket knife, wiped it on his jeans, and used it throughout his meal. Yorkshire pudding was also something they thought was a dessert item, so why would you eat that with a meat dish? There is an enterprise here called, Mouse to House, bringing over English food items that some find difficult to live without. Sliced white bread, Tesco economy sausages, and tins of baked beans are the most popular. We haven't used it, but do stock up with a few things on our trips over such as suet which is required for the winter dumplings.
Edmund I think there is only one way we can conclude this. We need to meet up, get a good cook to knock us up a cauliflower cheese, get a few bottles of red open, and go from there. Of course we need to stay overnight. Now as it happens OFH's house is about halfway between you and me. And maybe we'll get offered some mincemeat tart for afters and a good coffee. And we can while away the evening chatting 'orns talk. Come on OFH. When is open house time and how many spare beds do you have
Whenever I go over to England I always come back with large supplies of cider, and tins of pilchards.
The cider I get but tins of pilchards!!!!!!!!! I thought I was a bit weird with tea bags, bacon, cheddar and, when in season, small finger courgettes from M&S (the latter being imported into the UK from Spain and exported by me back to Spain).
Cider is available here by the bucket load, but pilchards are not. Sardines in tins, with olive oil or tomato sauce fill rows of supermarket shelves. Filleted ones, and entire ones are available on the fresh fish counter. We have also bought some small amounts of haddock and salmon fillets from the fish counter that will be turned into a fish pie this weekend. There are some great wines available at present to go with any meal. The prices have fallen dramatically suggesting that there is a surplus. A bottle of everyday plonk that sells for €2 here can be bought in my friends supermarket in Dorset for £7.50. I think I will be the winner.
Tea bags we do buy in quantity on our trips over along with cheddar, and gammon. Liptons breakfast tea which we can buy here is fine if we run out, and English cheddar is now available is small packets on the supermarket shelves. There is something similar, but not as good, called Chedder from Holland. There is so much good food here, and I do enjoy it. Tonight I am just about to tuck into a three egg omelette with herbs and lardons, small squares of bacon, frites and vegetable paties, followed with rum barbas and a selection of fresh fruit. All washed down with a nice wine. Who cares that there is no league football tonight?
My humble abode is open to all Horns fans whenever. I have been able to provide a welcome on a number of occasions to those who love the yellow shirt. My neighbour who now lives across the road brought up four children here when it was a one room cottage. She tells me that the children slept over there, her husband and her had their bed over the other side of the room, and she cooked on the open fire. It was normal even in winter to have the door open to clear the smoke from the fire. Later on a further room was added to the back of the house, so still only two rooms. When I bought the house in 2000 I could see that it had possibilities for extension. Above the two rooms was a first floor used to store vegetables, straw, hay and anything that might be useful at a later date. This has now become a large bedroom and bathroom, plus a small second bedroom and storage cupboards. There was also an attached goat shed, which I have knocked through and converted into a kitchen. Many hours of work have been put into it, and I am happy to know that what was a crumbling house that had not been lived in for 10 years is now somewhere I am happy to be.
Yup but I enjoyed the England game last night. Only problem was that it paralleled Rocket Ronnie so I had to use my double vision to good effect Anyways now preparing roast chicken and accompaniments for seven. It is my sister-in-laws birthday and the return of my niece from Norwich. Glad to say my mate from France, who recently moved from our village 10 miles up the road to Jerez https://www.lecroissantfrances.com/ is doing cakes and pastries, and delivering them personally at 3pm. He is an exquisit baker and pastry man. Not cheap but every bite melts in the mouth. And I really do not have the time even if I had the talent Here gone back to blue skies and it is a bit warmer. Hope you all have a great day
