The Anonymous Widower

Spicy Ginger Crunchy Cookies From Kent And Fraser

I bought these Kent and Fraser biscuits in the Waitrose in the Brunswick Centre.

Spicy Ginger Crunchy Cookies From Kent And Fraser

Spicy Ginger Crunchy Cookies From Kent And Fraser

They were delicious and a real surprise.

They were also very good for dunking.

September 26, 2013 Posted by | Food | , | Leave a comment

Crushed Walnuts Everyone?

Around the corner from me is a walnut tree.

Crushed Walnuts Everyone?

Crushed Walnuts Everyone?

It looks like there has been a good crop this year, but most have been crushed or eaten.

September 23, 2013 Posted by | Food, World | , | Leave a comment

Chorizo Hash With Peas

When I returned from Liverpool, I was tired and didn’t really have time for shopping, so i rustled together a version of the chorizo hash by Lindsey Bareham, I cooked a couple of weeks ago.

Chorizo Hash With Peas

Chorizo Hash With Peas

As I had a few peas in the fridge, I threw them in as well.

The supper was delicious.

September 20, 2013 Posted by | Food | , | Leave a comment

A Gluten Free Breakfast On Virgin Trains

I went to Liverpool today on the 08:07 Virgin train from Euston.  I was in First and got this gluten free breakfast as part of the ticket.

A Gluten Free Breakfast On Virgin Trains

A Gluten Free Breakfast On Virgin Trains

It came with lots of tea and an orange juice, and very good it was too! Sadly, I think it is only served Monday to Friday until 09:59, as I reported here.

The scrambled egg was particularly nice and was some of the best I’d had that wasn’t home cooked or in a top class hotel. It certainly gave the impression that it was freshly cooked and hadn’t been stewing for a couple of hours.

An interesting point on the price of train tickets is that it cost me £42.90 to go up in First and £25.50 to come back in Standard. So my comfortable seat, breakfast and extra tea, cost me £17.40.

September 20, 2013 Posted by | Food, Transport/Travel | , , | 3 Comments

Carluccio’s Gluten Free Bread Is In The Soup!

I had soup for lunch in Carluccio’s one day this week.

Carluccio's Gluten Free Bread Is In The Soup!

Carluccio’s Gluten Free Bread Is In The Soup!

The gluten free bread made excellent croutons.

September 19, 2013 Posted by | Food | , , | Leave a comment

Tarragon Chicken

This is another of Lindsey Bareham’s recipes from The Times.  The original is here.

I started by chopping an onion in my little chopper.

An Onion In My Chopper

An Onion In My Chopper

I continued by  gently frying it in some butter in my frying pan.

Spftening The Onion

Spftening The Onion

This should take about 15 minutes. Whilst it was cooking, I cut up three mini chicken fillets into small pieces.

A peeled, finely chopped and crushed garlic clove with a pinch of salt was added to the onion and cooked for a couple of minutes.

The chicken was then added, turning the pieces as they changed colour.

Cooking The Chicken

Cooking The Chicken

A teaspoon of flour was then sprinkled over the top and stirred. 150 ml. of chicken stock was added and the mixture was allowed to bubble up and thicken. Season as required, add one teaspoon of chopped tarragon and three tablespoons of thick cream and then stirring occasionally, let it cook for 10-15 minutes or until the chicken is tender.

Finally adjust the seasoning to taste, with salt, pepper and lemon.

Dinner Is Served

Dinner Is Served

It was good and I served it as Lindsey suggested with green beans and new potatoes.

September 18, 2013 Posted by | Food | , , , | Leave a comment

A Cause For Complaint In The Scottish Capital

I was checking a Carluccio’s restaurant for lunch today in London and not that they now have two in Scotland; Glasgow and Aberdeen.

I wonder if they’ve had any complaints signed Disgusted in Morningside.

September 18, 2013 Posted by | Food | , | Leave a comment

Which Is The Best UK University For Students With Coeliac Disease?

When I went to Liverpool University in the 1960s, I hadn’t been diagnosed with coeliac disease, but this article from the BBC web site about students with nut allergies got me thinking.

In my travels around the country, I find cities and towns vary with their knowledge of the disease. For instance, London, Brighton, Cambridge and Liverpool are easy cities for a coeliac and others like Ipswich, Blackpool and Middlesbrough  are difficult.

I think drinking could be the biggest problem, as it is only in a few places you can drink a pint of something gluten-free, like real cider. At least these days, there is a wide availability of microwaveable meals from the major supermarkets that are gluten free and there are now reliable Indian restaurants, who cook with gram flour everywhere. And you can usually find a Pizza Express.  Who’d have thought that good gluten-free pizza would be available nearly everywhere, a few years ago?

I think in the 1960s, being a coeliac, would have been a real problem at university and I probably would have taken an easy option to stay in London with my aunt.  I couldn’t have lived with my parents in Felixstowe, as there was no University in the county.

So my life as a coeliac would have been totally different.  I certainly wouldn’t have met my wife and would have missed out on forty very happy years.

September 16, 2013 Posted by | Food, World | , , | Leave a comment

A Wet Night In Islington

I needed supper last night and although I had food in the fridge, I went to Pizza Express at the Angel.

The great advantage is that the bus stop is right outside the restaurant.

So although, the rain was amazing, I didn’t get too wet.

The gluten-free pizza was good too!

September 13, 2013 Posted by | Food, Transport/Travel, World | , , , | Leave a comment

Food Or Surveillance?

I saw this van on Upper Street in Islington.

Food Or Surveillance?

Food Or Surveillance?

Is it Kennedy Spies or Kennedy’s Pies?

September 11, 2013 Posted by | Food, World | | Leave a comment