A Good Name For A Goalkeeper
Dortmund’s goalkeeper tonight is called Weidenfeller. Does that translate as Wide Fella?
Trafalgar Square In Yellow
Although last night was quiet, that couldn’t be said for lunch-time today.
but where were all the Bayern fans. Perhaps, as they have been described as the Manchester United of Germany, they were all in their hotels and restaurants, stuffing themselves with the German equivalent of prawn sandwiches!
Fish Pie With Swede And Potato Topping
I regularly do Jamie Oliver’s fish pie and thought it was about time I found another. Especially, as I wanted one that was more in tune with my 0.6L Le Creuset dishes.
I found this one on the BBC’s Good Food website, which was ideal to make two pies.
For the two pies, I used the following.
- 500 g potatoes, cut into chunks
- 400 g swede, cut into chunks
- 200 g tub low-fat soft cheese with garlic and herbs
- 150ml vegetable stock
- 4 tsp cornflour, blended with 2 tbsp cold water
- 500g skinless, boneless cod, cut into large chunks
- 100g cooked peeled prawns
- 1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
This is the method.
- Cook the potatoes and swede in boiling water until tender (about 20 minutes).
- Preheat the oven to 190°C. While the potatoes and swede cook, put the soft cheese and stock into a large saucepan and heat gently, stirring with a wooden spoon, until blended and smooth. Now add the blended cornflour and cook until thick.
- Stir the fish into the sauce with the prawns and parsley. Season with some pepper.
- Tip the mixture into the dish or dishes. Drain the potatoes and swede, mash them well and season with black pepper. Spoon the mash over the fish to cover it completely. Bake for 25-30 minutes until piping hot, then transfer to a hot grill for a few minutes to brown the top.
- Serve with frozen peas or sweetcorn.
I served it with frozen peas and a Celia.
Fish Pie With Peas And A Celia
The second pie went in the freezer.
What Is Royal Stag?
The New Zealand cricket team, seems to be sponsored by Royal Stag.
It appears it’s an Indian made whisky!
Enough said!
Co-Operative Bank Ditches Business Lending
This story on the BBC web site, says a lot about the state of the Co-Operative Bank. Here’s the first bit.
Co-operative Bank has stopped offering new business loans amid concerns over its capital position.
The bank is continuing to provide lending to existing customers, but has frozen lending to new corporate customers.
I don’t bank there, but if I did, I’d be moving my account for safety reasons tomorrow. If not today!
It Was Quiet Last Night
I went up to Trafalgar Square yesterday evening, as with 150,000 Germans supposedly in town, there might be something worth seeing.
It would appear that UEFA have chosen the wrong day for the Champions League final. It was a bit different to 2011, when Barcelona fans were everywhere, as this post shows.
The Advantage Of Properly Integrated Systems
I don’t use an Oyster Card for my meanderings around London, as I have a Freedom Pass, which gives me everything except the cable-car free.
But this advert on the Overground caught my eye.
Oyster Advert On The Overground
When I used an Oyster Card, I suspect, I didn’t always touch out, so it probably cost me a few pounds in total.
So if I read this correctly, if you don’t touch out and you’ve registered the card, you will be told you’ve got a refund. That in itself, will probably mean that you will probably be more careful about touching out.
Remember that Oyster is one of the main ways, that Transport for London, determine the real journeys done by passengers. So removing the touch out error, means they will have better data to plan the network.
This looks like a classic application of the nudge principle.
Crystal Palace Station Shines In The Rain
I thought yesterday, that I’d go to see the refurbished Crystal Palace station, then perhaps have a walk in the park and some lunch in the cafe.
But the truly horrendous weather had other ideas, so I took a few pictures and then came back.
We need more sympathetic station refurbishments like this one.
The Anonymous Widower 