Another Taste of Suffolk
I like my hummus and usually have it with some toasted Genius bread, that I cut into fingers. So today I bought a pot of hummus with butter bean, mint and lime from the de Beauvoir Deli for my lunch.
Purely Hummus
One reason I bought it, was it said that it was suitable for coeliacs on the packet and it was only when I got it home, that I found that it was made by a company called Purely Pesto from Saxmundham. And the last time I looked, that oddly named town was in Suffolk.
As to the hummus, it was very good.
The New Evolution Diet
This was being promoted in The Sunday Times yesterday.
It basically says eat a variety of foods, like vegetables, meat, fish and eggs, nuts and fruit and avoid foods like grains, dairy, starchy foods, some fruit and soy beans. It also advises taking exercise, most of which appears to be walking and simple arm and back exercises. But then Dogtor J has been saying things like this for health in people and their pets for years.
Looking at it in more detaill, it is very close to what a coeliac might eat, except that I probably eat too many potatoes and bananas for the diet’s liking.
So have we coeliacs been right all along in avoiding grains like wheat and barley?
My late wife, C, wasn’t a coeliac, but she followed a virtually gluten-free diet, as she didn’t want to cook separately for me. She also did plenty of exercise.
In the end it didn’t do her any good, as she died of a very rare squamous cell carcinoma of the heart, but only a few months before she died, I took this picture on the beach in the Aeolian Islands.
Nakd Bars
Good gluten-free snacks are hard to come by. But have the Welsh come up with something better than the ubiquitous banana?
Nakd Cocoa and Orange Bar
They certainly taste nice. My only worry is that they seem to be a bit addictive. They do say on the packet that the bars are “Gleefully made in Wales”
Is this another case of a food company being innovative to expand and get us out of the recession?
They are also following a trend of trying to make the packaging funny and very much worth reading. Humour is the greatest weapon in life and we don’t use it enough in marketing and business.
Perhaps the reason we got into the recession was have we ever had such a humourless bunch of politicians as Gordon Brown and NuLabor?
You May Get the Man Out of Suffolk, But You Can’t Get Suffolk Out of the Man
I wasn’t born in Suffolk, but according to my father I was conceived on the floor of the Ordnance Hotel in Felixstowe. But for the last forty years or so, I’ve always had strong associations with the county and of course I still support Ipswich Town.
But Suffolk gets under your skin and every time I go to the local de Beauvoir Deli, I’m reminded of my history, as they sell products from Pinney’s of Orford. C and I must have had upwards of fifty happy meals in their Oysterage in Orford. I think C would approve that I’ve just bought some of their smoked fish pate for my lunch, which I’ll eat with s0me Genius toast.
Smoked Fish Pate from Pinney's of Orford
Gluten-Free on Hope Street
Hope Street is the street that links Liverpool’s two cathedrals. It is also one of the best places to eat gluten-free I’ve found. I ended up eating in a restaurant called Host, but there were several places with gluten-free offerings. I probably made the wrong choice of meal, as I had a lamb shank in a curried sauce with root vegetables, as it was so difficult to cut up with my gammy left hand. But it was lovely!
Host on Hope Street
Now to Sort the Fridge
The fridge is a nuisance in that it seems most of the shelves and the door fitments are missing or broken. But the mechanical bits that do all the work, seem to be working well.
Luckily it’s a Siemens and I’ve been able to find the replacement parts section on their web site with a little bit of help from Dino at Concept Kitchens.
So on Monday, I’ll dismantle everything and see what is needed.
A Typical Shop
I took this picture after I unloaded my backpack and shopping bag yesterday.
A Typical Shop
Note the Genius bread, Pinney’s smoked salmon, Waitrose ginger cake, goat’s yoghurt and milk and the raspberries and juice. I forgot the eggs, but otherwise, I have enough for two days.
I think that it is true to say that as I can shop every day and getting there is either a walk or a free bus ride, I’m shopping differently now.
Now that I’ve got some operating instructions for the cooker, I can also eat a greater variety of food, at least in the way they are cooked. Yesterday, I used the griddle pan to cook myself a rather nice steak, whch I served with some microwaved vegetables. I wouldn’t have normally used the latter in the past, but they were on offer and peas and sweetcorn made a change.
I think it’s also true to say that as I go past a shop every day, it makes it a lot easier. I’ll go again today, as I need some envelopes to post some goods, I’ve sold on eBay.
Baumatic Delivers
I have perhaps been a bit harsh on Baumatic and their cooker, but yesterday, they sent me the instruction manual in the post, having identified the cooker from the picture I sent them by e-mail.
That scores quite a few points.
Why We Are Obese!
A woman has just admitted on Radio 5, that she starts the day with two Red Bulls and a Mars Bar.
Enough said!
New Year in the South
Last night, I went to a New Year’s party in South London. Because of the various transport options and the fact that I can’t drive, I decided to take two buses; a 21 to Lewisham and then a 75 onwards towards Croydon. If it hadn’t been New Year, but say a Sunday lunch, I’d have taken the East London Line and walked to and from the stations at both ends. But in a way, I wanted to prove that someone who has had a stroke can cope with the same problems everybody else has to deal with.
So how did I cope?
The outward run was pretty easy, as I’d done most of the journey on the 21 before. I had thought of taking the East London Line, but I wanted to be sure of the interchange for the return. I did have to wait about fifteen minutes for the 75 at Lewisham and the wait would have been improved if the bus stop had had a proper display announcing the arrival of the buses. I also got off at the wrong stop and had to walk back, but that was my mistake.
Coming home was slightly more difficult and this was mainly due to having to take the N47 to London Bridge from Lewisham rather than my intended 21. But as there was no information of any sort at Lewisham, I felt that keeping going was a better option than waiting. From London Bridge, northbound buses were thin on the ground and everything was rather crowded, so in the end I got a 43 to just past the Angel and walked home. It wasn’t the best option, but I quite like walking cities at night and always have. The trip didn’t appear to be too dangerous, with the biggest obvious danger seeming to come from police cars rushing up and down everywhere and some fairly frightening characters on the bus. But no-one bothered me in the least way at all.
So would I do the trip again on a New Year’s Eve? A lot depends if I get invited to a party again.
But I wouldn’t chose to stay as late again and would probably prefer a train or tube back most of the way.
On the other hand, why miss a good party!
So thanks to all who entertained me last night.
The Anonymous Widower 