Sainsbury’s Now Sell Celias!
I took this picture in the Angel branch of Sainsbury’s.
I only buy the odd bottle these days, as the Adnams Southwold Pale Ale 0.5%, which is available in Marks and Spencer is more to my taste.
London To Get Three New Market Halls
This article in the Standard, describes the start of an interesting new venture.
This is the first few paragraphs.
Mannequins will make way for food stalls at the former BHS store in Oxford Street as it transforms into a bustling hub for foodies under plans to open as the UK’s largest food hall.
BHS ceased trading in 2016 and the site sat largely empty until Polish fashion label Reserved moved in last year. Now, the remaining space at the beleaguered department store chain will be the flagship branch of a new venture bringing three permanent food markets to the capital.
A disused Tube station ticket hall in Fulham and a former nightclub in Victoria will also be transformed.
Between them the markets will feature more than 50 bars and eateries, including outposts of well-known London restaurants and street food traders as well as a smaller number of start-ups.
The venue in Oxford Street will certainly be handy if I need a spot of lunch, when I’m in the area.
But will it make the streets more crowded? Or will Crossrail and pedestrianisation give everybody a lot more space?
Plastic Bag Charge: 5p Levy To Be Extended In England
The title of this post is the same as that on this article on the BBC.
It’s a good idea.
And while we’re about it, why not put a 5p levy on every takeaway meal, as most the the packaging seems to be dropped on the street!
The Return Of The Best Gluten-Free Sandwich From A Supermarket
Marks and Spencer do very good gluten-free sandwiches. In my experience, the only better gluten-free sandwiches I have had, have been in a couple of dedicated gluten-free shops, where the sandwich has been made in front of me.
This was my lunch today, bassed on a gluten-free egg sandwich, that has been brought back after about five years.
Incidentally, I suspect that egg seems to have a complimentary taste with good gluten-free bread.
I’ve also had excellent gluten-free egg sandwiches in several places including the Tate Britain, Tate Modern and Cafe Northcote in Blackburn cathedral.
The Pizza Restaurant With No Cheese
Last night, two friends and myself, tried to have pizzas at Pizza Express in Walthamstow.
We left, as they’d run out of cheese.
It is not the standard I expect from this chain of restaurants.
But in the past, I’ve also found their Walthamstow restaurant had no gluten-free pizza dough and offered terrible service.
I doubt, I’ll be going again!
Chilled Marks and Spencer’s 0.5% Southwold Pale Ale
I took this picture of Marks and Spencer’s 0.5% Southwold Pale Ale in the fridge of their store on Finsbury Pavement in the City of London.
Not that it needed to be cooled today, as it was real bass monkey weather.
Belfast – A City Of Water And Bridges
I took these pictures as I walked from my hotel in the Titantic Quarter to Belfast City Centre to get some supper.
It wasn’t a difficult walk, although it was rather cold.
I ended up having a very enjoyable gluten-free supper in Made in Belfast, which is close to the City Hall.
Two Units Of Adnams Beer
This picture shows eight bottles of Marks and Spencer’s 0.5% Southwold Pale Ale, which is brewed by Adnams.
Astonishingly, there are just 2 units of alcohol, which cost just £12.80 in total.
But even more astonishingly, the beer has a good taste for a low-alcohol beer.
The Finest Low-Alcohol Gluten-Free Beer In The World
In some ways this is an open letter to Archie Norman and Jonathan Adnams, who are respectively chairman of Marks and Spencer and Adnams Brewery.
Adnams brew Southwold Pale Ale 0.5% for Marks and Spencer.
I have three medical conditions.
- I am coeliac, which means I must avoid gluten.
- I’ve had a stroke and am on Warfarin, which means I can’t drink too much alcohol.
- I have a need to drink lots of fluids and I find beer is best.
So I need a low-alcohol and gluten-free beer, that has all the thirst-quenching properties of beer.
I should say that my grandfather had the same need to drink a lot and he eventually turned into a serious alcoholic and died at the age of just forty.
I am now seventy and started drinking halves of Adnams at fourteen in Felixstowe Conservative Club, whilst playing snooker with my father. Since a stroke seven years ago, I’ve probably never drunk more than ten units of alcohol in a week.
The Southwold Pale Ale 0.5% satisfies my need for a low-alcohol beer and it has a quality taste, that I very much like.
When I was diagnosed as a coeliac twenty years ago, one of the problems was finding a decent gluten-free beer. So I had a discussion with a brewer at Adnams and he said that their beers could be gluten-free.
But I never tried one!
However, after testing a few bottles of Southwold Pale Ale 0.5% , I was convinced that the beer was low enough in gluten not to have any ill-effects on my body.
But then surely, a low-alcohol beer must be made with less barley to create the low-alcohol level!
I think Southwold Pale Ale 0.5% is a superb beer.
Don’t just take my word for it!
In the reviews on the Marks and Spencer web site, these are some of the titles.
- Favourite Low Alcohol Option
- Best Low Alc Beer I’ve Tried Yet
- Excellent Low Alcohol Pale Ale
Two other reviewers complain about the availability of the product.
Research shows that as many as one-in-fifty of the population of the UK could be coeliac.
Conclusion
Improving the availability of this product could be good for all concerned.
Then
A Pit Stop At Halifax
One of the objectives of my journey from Blackburn to Leeds was to visit the Piece Hall in Holifax.
Last year in A Trip To Halifax, I had a quick look and said this.
I had hoped to find something hot to drink. All I found was a very bad hot chocolate in the station.
Surely, something better could be done in the green space by the station.
These are pictures I took.
As you can see the Piece Hall is now restored and a magnificent space surrounded by craft shops, bars and restaurants.
I had an excellent breakfast in a bar and restaurant called Elder.
There would also appear to be a sensible hotel just outside the station on the short walking route to the Piece Hall. It is called the Imperial Crown Hotel and it could be a convenient place to stay on a visit to the area.
- It’s within a hundred metres of the station and the Piece Hall.Trains from the station.
- Trains are approximately every thirty minutes to Bradford, Hudderfield, Leeds and Manchester.
- Trains take around thirty minutes to Leeds.
Next time, that I go to Leeds or Bradford, I’ll give it a try.
The Anonymous Widower 