Baked Eggs And Sardines
This recipe came out of Saturday’s Times and explains the tins of sardines and bread earlier. When I saw the recipe, I thought I hadn’t had sardines for years, so this recipe seemed a good one to rectify that omission.
Baked Eggs And Sardines
All I did was put a crushed clove of garlic, a complete tin of sardines in tomato sauce and two eggs into a buttered ovenproof dish, which then went in the oven at 180°C, until the eggs looked cooked.
I did buy some parsley to chop on the top, but I forgot to do it.
I shall be cooking it again! Especially as sardines are suposedly nutritious and considered by some to be an aphrodisiac. The dish is also so easy to cook. The most difficult thing was opening the tin of sardines!
Even the washing up was fairly minimal!
Am I Reduced To This?
I went to Waitrose on the way home today and bought a Genius loaf and two tins of sardines.
So is this all I will be eating tonight? No!
Am I Reduced To This?
But some could imagine I was living on the breadline!
Giles Coren On Pistachio Doughnuts
This was a classic comment from his restaurant review in The Times on Saturday.
Oliphant, who had been here before, insisted I try the pistachio doughnuts and honey syrup, but all puddings taste like mashed sugar cubes to me and I ate it only out of politeness. For all I know, it may be the greatest pudding ever made. You’d need to ask a fat girl.
I feel like that about puddings too!
Two Quotes From Antonio Carluccio
The Times yesterday had two quotes from Antonio Carluccio.
Religion is hypocritical.
He says that he abandoned it forty years ago. With me it was probably nearly sixty, when I discovered how good science is.
Cooking is good for attracting girls.
He says he taught himself, as he couldn’t afford to go to restaurants.
I’m teaching myself, not because I can’t afford the restaurants, but because restaurants don’t cook what I like. As to whther it attracts girls, I couldn’t possibly comment.
The Return From Sheffield
I had decided to come back directly from Sheffield station to St. Pancras International.
Partly, this was because it was without a change and also it would enable me to compare the two companies; East Coast and East Midlands. But mainly, it was because the journey up cost £33.00 and I was able to get back for £19.80, by the simpler route.
It started well enough in that I was able to get easily by the Supertram to the station, with a change at Fitzalan Square. My only query, would be to ask if Sheffield have enough trams, as the tram was crowded both ways and there was a long delay waiting to get one at Meadowhall? I also find it strange, that we have six modern tram systems in the UK; London, Edinburgh, West Midlands, Manchester, Nottingham and Sheffield, and all seem to have different trams and different ticketing systems. For instance, other than London, the only tram system I can use without paying is Sheffield.
If we had a standard UK tram and infrastructure, then anywhere that wanted a system, would be able to cost it very easily. Surely too, a common tram, would reduce inventories for spare parts and reduce costs for staff training.
I have had quite a bit of experience of East Midlands First Class this year, so I took the precaution of going to the usually excellent Marks and Spencer in the station to get a drink. As I’d only had the sandwiches I bought at Meadowhall all day, I thought something to eat might be an idea. But Marks and Spencer were out of gluten-free sandwiches and I couldn’t find any salads at all. There of course, is no restaurant in the station, where anything gluten-free is available. So I would have to wait until St. Pancras.
I did check out the toilets and despite being pretty new, they weren’t in the best of states.
Vandalised Toilets At Sheffield Station
Especially, if you compare them with the exquisite ones I used at Doncaster on the way up. Doncaster’s toilets were also free.
So obviously you don’t pay for what you get!
After the toilets, I thought, I’d check out the First Class Lounge.
First Class Lounge At Sheffield Station
It was shut, just like it was at Derby a couple of weeks ago.
The train left Derby on time and I had a table for four to myself. By the time we got to Leicester, I’d had a cup of instant coffee in a cardboard cup, as opposed to the china cups from a pot on East Coast.
Then disaster struck, as we held at Leicester for forty minutes or so, after staff told us that the overhead lines had been brought down in the Elstree area. To be delayed on an electric train by overhead wire problems is to be expected, but when you’re in an operational Class 222 diesel train, it’s somewhat ironic.
We continued untroubled until Kettering, where we stopped for another twenty minutes, before being ordered off the train and onto another Class 222 heading for St. Pancras. I could just about find enough space to stand up. Luckily the crush didn’t last long, as staff told us that at the next stop at Wellingborough, if we got out and walked to the back of what was two trains coupled together there would be more space.
It now was obvious what East Midlands Trains had done. As to get a single train through the damaged knitting at Elstree, would be much easier than getting two trains through, they coupled two six coach trains together to make a twelve coach one.
Before I had moved to the comfort of the second train, I was talking to someone who worked for Network Rail. He blamed Dr. Beeching for all of the delays, as there hadn’t been any investment in the 1960s and 1970s. As I think the electrification that caused all the trouble was installed in the 1980s, that is quite an amazing conclusion.
As all of the electrification of that era seems to cause trouble, no matter where it is installed, I would think that there must be something wrong with the basic design. I did read something about how the Regional Eurostars used to bash hell out of the wires on the East Coast Main Line and cause failures. So perhaps the new Thameslink Class 377 trains are the problem. But I doubt it, as they’ve been around for some years.
In the end we arrived in London at 22:30, after a four hour journey. Marks and Spencer in St. Pancras was devoid of any suitable food, so I went home in a taxi and had cheese on toast.
I wish I’d gone home the other way via Meadowhall and Doncaster, despite it being twenty minutes slower. After all, I was two hours late into St. Pancras. At least, if there’d had been an overhead line failure, I suspect that I’d have been kept going by all that glorious East Coast tea in First Class.
Hillsborough
Hillsborough is not one of my favourite stadia, although I’ve no reason to dislike it. I’ve been three times, twice recently including yesterday and once in the 1960s, when I was at Liverpool University, where I did visit quite a few grounds in the North.
The West Stand At Hillsborough
Perhaps, I dislike Hillsborough because visiting supporters sit in the West or Leppings Lane Stand, which featured so grimly in the Hillsborough disaster.
It certainly isn’t because of over-officious stewarding or policing, as it was a very painless and friendly process to get inside. Perhaps not as friendly as last time, where a tout knocked down an unsellable Senior ticket to me for less than cost price. What he was doing with the ticket I do not know, but at the time he seemed pleased I gave him a tenner for it.
Inside Hillsborough
I think it must be because the stadium shows its age, although it doesn’t in the picture. But, there are still roof supports obstructing some views and the facilities are in a severe need of an update. They’re not as bad as some, but when you look at places like Hull, Brighton, Ipswich, Derby, Wolverhampton and others, you realise that the toilets and food outlets at Hillsborough, are not of the standard most supporters expect.
I think that some innovative thinking is needed in this area, which would benefit supports and clubs alike. As an example, last Tuesday at the Crystal Palace game, I desperately needed a drink of water, so I went to the catering outlet a few minutes before half-time. I found Ipswich Town were selling a new East Anglian brand of water called Iceni. Perhaps, if there is one, clubs might benefit from selling local water.
A Chocolate Brownie At Pattiserie Valerie
Patisserie Valerie was one of C’s favourite places for coffee, although she didn’t usually have one of their cakes.
A couple of weeks ago, I had a cup of tea in their cafe at Kings Cross station with a friend.
Pattiserie Valerie At Kings Cross Station
As it is in a generous-sized china cup and I was in the station again getting tickets for a trip tomorrow, I decided to have another tea today. On asked if I’d like anything else, I said that I was gluten-free and that I didn’t think they had anything, But I was wrong, as the picture shows.
A Chocolate Brownie At Pattiserie Valerie
Although it was plastic wrapped, it was one of the best brownies I’ve ever tasted. Plastic wrapping is acceptable to preserve gluten-free status, when the cake is of this level of quality.
The large cup of tea and the brownie was reasonably priced at £4.60.
Kings Cross station and its neighbour St. Pancras are getting to be very far removed from the tired memories of British Rail’s curled sandwiches and dreadful coffee of the past.
i know it is the policy of Network Rail to take this good food route and they are to be congratulated on their approach.
A Small Bottle And Glass Of Wine
I like a nice glass of wine, but when I’m at home, I don’t like opening a new bottle, as by the time I get round to another glass, it’s gone off.
So I thought, I’d give this very small bottle from Waitrose a try.
A Small Bottle And Glass Of Wine
It wasn’t that bad! But then small bottles of wine are generally inferior to their bigger cousins.
A Leon Built Like A Tardis
This Leon in Carnaby Street looks very small.
A Leon Built Like A Tardis
But inside it is rather spacious, with seating for a hundred or so. So it’s a true tardis, which of course we know is larger on the inside than it looks from the outside. i had gone for breakfast before I did some shopping.
My Leon Breakfast
This restaurant is ideally placed for Oxford Circus, so like today is a good place to start your shopping.
Note the tea mug, that would satisfy the most fussy builder.
leon may do real food, but they also do real mugs in quite a few of their restaurants.
Schadenfreude Sandwiches
After my experiences in Germany on finding gluten-free food, I can’t help having a small titter at this story from the Telegraph.
I’d have loved to find a nice sandwich, as I can all over the UK and The Netherlands, but Germans don’t seem to be able to produce any ready-to-eat gluten-free food.
The Anonymous Widower 