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 Dubai Vodka Set
I bet the sheikhs in Dubai like this story.
It shows what a liberal bunch they are to allow such excess and drinking of vodka.
The writer, Paul Moss, didn’t describe those that invited him to dinner, but various obvious images come to mind.
I went to Dubai once, and there was little of the historic Dubai to visit. The best bit was the ferries or abras across Dubai Creek.
Wetherspoons To Open A Pub On The M40
It looks like Wetherspoons will be opening a pub on the M40 according to reports like this one from the BBC.
I have no view on whether it would increase drink-driving, but surely it would be just as easy to drink in a pub just off the motorway, than one in a service area.
But what I would like to see is better rail interchanges on motorways! Very few railway stations are close to motorways with large amounts of parking. Personally, I’m not too badly affected, as I don’t drive, but sometimes when I want to meet someone driving along the motorway, finding a suitable station is difficult.
Does Anybody Make An Easy-Clean Potato Masher?
I make a lot of potato pies and the worst thing is cleaning the potato masher. The potato just seems to stick in the holes.
Does Anybody Make An Easy-Clean Potato Masher?
Friends say why don’t I use my dishwasher, but after ten years of tenants, it’s a bit decrepit like me. I could afford a new one, but I may remodel my kitchen and I don’t want the design to have to be compromised because of an existing dishwasher.
I also find washing up therapeutic for my gammy left hand.
Antonio’s Pepolata
I had a problem last night, in that I couldn’t find a suitable sauce for my pies. Last time I used one from Bay Tree, that had been in my cupboard for some time. This time though, the only one i could find was Antonio’s Pepolata from Carluccio’s.
Antonio’s Pepolata
The pies worked out fine, or at least the one I had for supper did.
Chicken, Bacon And Potato Pie
But even Carluccio’s didn’t really have a suitable sauce.
Why Do I Have To Buy 2.5 Kg Of Potatoes?
I made two chicken, bacon and potato pies last night, but in Waitrose I had to buy 2.5 Kg of potatoes, as they didn’t have any smaller packs or loose ones that were suitable for mashing.
Why Do I Have To Buy 2.5 Kg Of Potatoes?
As I had to carry them back on a bus, I wasn’t pleased.
My two pies need a kilogram and as i don’t use many the remainder will probably have gone off before I need them.
Is this why we waste so much food?
I just buy what I need to make my meal or in the case of pies, my meal and one a couple of days later.
We need an efficient cooking philosophy that minimises waste, cooking time and washing up.
Some will say this is why ready meals are popular, as all you have to do is stick them in the microwave and wash the plate up at the end. But I have just thrown an unused Marks and Spencer ready meal into the bin, as I bought it in case, I didn’t get any food on my three late nights last week, and it is now well past its sell-by date.
The Anonymous Widower 