Porridge At Heathrow
On the way out to Stockholm, I wanted to eat well before I left the UK. The flight left at 11:30, so it was a bit early for lunch, but I was able to get a second breakfast at Gordon Ramsay in Terminal Five. I had porridge for the first time in years and jolly good it was too.
Porridge At Heathrow
Note in the background, the card describing Gordon Ramsay’s onboard picnics. That is a good idea and the manager assured me they can be gluten-free.
My First Real Fish And Chips In Thirty Years
I’ve never been a great one for greasy fish and chips in newspaper and my late wife, C, wasn’t either. Although, when we lived in St. John’s Wood, we did occasionally get a takeaway from Sea Shell in Lisson Grove. But even in the 1960s, that was of a different quality to for example the chip shop. I remember in East Barnet close to my mother-in-law’s.
Yesterday I read in Giles Coren’s restaurant review in The Times of The Fish and Chip Shop in Upper Street, Islington. I passed it yesterday whilst shopping, popped in and found they could do gluten-free fish and chips. So later in the day, I returned with my son for supper.
The Fish And Chip Shop, Islington
I had plaice in a gluten-free batter and my son had a fish curry. We both found the food excellent and I finished off with an ice cream, the quality and flavour of which, probably betrayed the usual source of most good ice cream in restaurants in the northern and central parts of London; Marine Ices in Camden Town.
The one problem with the restaurant was that we were a bit cramped on the bar, so if you’re thinking of going, book early. My son and I usually decide to go for a meal, perhaps an hour or so before, so we tend to end up in somewhere like Carluccio’s, Pizza Express or Côte, where booking is optional early in the evening or at lunchtime.
On the other hand, as it is very convenient for me, with the 30 bus stop opposite, it’s one of those restaurants, where if I need supper because my fridge is empty or the cooking has gone wrong, I’ll go and sit on the bar and partake of a plaice and chips. As Giles Coren said in his review, the chips are nice, proper, potatoey English chip shop chips.
Eating out in my local area has just got better!
Nespresso Is The Apple Of Coffee
Not my statement, but something that was hinted at in an article in The Times.
I don’t drink much coffee and I always wondered about Nespresso, with its expensive advertising. If it was that good, why don’t I see more machines in peoples’ houses.
It looks like they’ve got a marketing philosophy based on a cheap machine and expensively-packaged coffee.
I tend to avoid machines in the kitchen, as you have to wash them up and except for my cooker, microwave and fridge, I only use three pieces of electrical equipment; a kettle, a toaster and a Kenwood chopper, which was heavily promoted by Delia. I do have a dishwasher, but I don’t use it, as it was wrecked by the tenants, who lived here before I bought the house. It just doesn’t get anything clean, whereas my Mark One hand and a gammy one, perform the task well.
So when I see that Nespresso, a subsidiary of Nestle are involved in a legal spat with Mondelez, who in my book are still called Kraft, as I do here on Reuters, I know that there can only be one winner, the lawyers. And the poor old consumer will pay for it all in higher prices. So Nespresso is a product to avoid!
Incidentally, both companies are on my avoid lists, as they don’t in my book publish full and detailed information on gluten about their products. I also don’t like Nestle’s stand on powdered milk for babies and who would buy anything from the company that made its name with sliced cheese. Other companies in my avoid group are Mars and in fact any company, where you can’t find the gluten-free information easily on their web site, or if you’re in the shop, on the packaging.
Will It Be Kangaroo Or Lamb Pie Tonight?
With Australia and New Zealand playing today in the cricket, the question has to be asked!
With Australia at two for twelve, it looks like it’s veering t0wards kangaroo.
But because I have one in the fridge, it will actually be shepherd’s made from beef.
How To Celebrate Australian Defeat By England
Last night, I made a couple of my shepherd’s pies.
Last Night’s Shepherd’s Pie
One was for last night and the other was to be saved for later. Although, as I have had a slight problem with the fridge, I suspect it’ll go in the freezer. I dropped a knife yesterday and it slid under the fridge. In getting it out of its hole under the work-top, I must have pulled the cable out, so of course it stopped working. As all my milk went solid, I’m not in the best mood today, having had to drink black tea.
I had a thought yesterday, as I was making the pies. Would one work with kangaroo mince, to celebrate a victory over the old enemy?
My rudimentary cooking skills say it would and from time in Australia, I know that kangaroos are good eating. So I used that great cooking utensil, Google, to look for a supplier.
The first I found was Macken Brothers in Chiswick. They have a selection of exotic meats and confirmed they can do kangaroo mince.
I also searched further and found Kezie Foods in Scotland, which has a wide selection of kangaroo meat. According to that page, kangaroo meat is very good for your heart.
I’ll definitely cook something in the next month or so.
A Restaurant I Won’t Visit
As they seem to encourage smoking dollies to parade outside, I don’t think I’ll visit this restaurant.
A Restaurant I Won’t Visit
She put me off so much, I didn’t even look at the menu, but just walked by out of the smoke.
A Gluten-Free Beer Created Accidentally
I went to the Allergy Show at Olympia today and came across a beer called Crop Circle from the Hop Back Brewery. They say this on the web site about the beer.
Crop Circle is a very clean flaxen coloured beer with wonderful thirst quenching properties. The Subtle blend of aroma and bittering hops gives a crispness on the tongue which is delicately fruity, giving way to some dryness
Crop Circle has always been Gluten Free – we have however only recently had it tested and certified and believe it is the first main stream beer to be awarded the Cross Grain accreditation.
It is a real beer and not a lager, but it was really to my taste and I shall be buying at least a few bottles. For scientific and research purposes of course!
The interesting thing, is that I once spoke to the head brewer of a famous real ale brewery. He thought that although his beers were not gluten-free, because of the method of production, they might be very low in gluten. I’ve drunk the odd bottle of his brewery’s beer and I didn’t have any reactions. But then I’m not a serious coeliac!
Can Food Help Us Cope With Grief?
This article on the BBC web site, asks the question, posed in the title of this post.
Cooking and food has certainly helped me, in that when my late wife died, it was either learn to cook, eat out every night or starve.
So as I already had the basic skills from my mother’s training, I chose the first and now find that I can cook pretty well. Or at least those who have eaten one of my meals, haven’t complained! Or gone to A & E!
The article also has some links to some nice meals, I might try, like this cottage pie.
The Northgate Is Now The De Beauvoir Arms
One of my local pubs, that I use occasionally is the Northgate on Southgate Road on the Islington/Hackney border.
It reopened yesterday after a change of ownership and a refit as the De Beauvoir Arms.
I have just returned from having a drink there.
As a coeliac, I don’t drink beer, but the Stowfold Press cider on offer was excellent. I do prefer Aspall, but then you can take the man out of Suffolk, but you can’t take Suffolk out of the man.
I shall go and have a meal there soon, to check out the food.
Zoo Lates At London Zoo
These Friday evening, adults-only visits to London Zoo are one of the highlights of the summer. I went with my son and his partner and we thoroughly enjoyed the evening.
It wasn’t as crowded as when I went two years ago, but the event was sold out.
One of the highlights of the evening is the food and London Zoo showed how to do mass catering at an event. There were food stalls for every possible taste and I had a Pimms and a very nice and very authentic curry, from a stall, manned by probably a Bangladeshi family.
I have never understood, why outside say football grounds and other events, you don’t see stalls selling proper curries. All you seem to get is tired gluten-rich food, based on burgers and soggy chips. Mother, who was serving the curry, assured me that their food was gluten-free and I haven’t had any adverse reaction.
The Anonymous Widower 