An Interesting Idea
I’ve just read about the web site, EatWith.com, where you eat meals in other peoples’ homes.
I know of quite a few people, who might like to have a go at this, both as diners and cooks!
Have Google Lost The Plot?
This morning, the BBC is running a story about revamping the West Hackney Burial Ground.
I’m not sure whether you would describe Dalston as West Hackney, but it struck me that it could be near where I live. If it is, then it would be worth a visit for before and after photos.
So I typed West Hackney Burial Ground into Google Maps and got a load of useless information and adverts for places around Hackney including Jury’s Inn Hotel halfway between the Angel and King’s Cross. If I were to score the information I got, to give it zero out of ten would be generous.
Google seems to be getting less useful as the years go by, as it concentrates too much on making money and inventions such as driverless cars. Incidentally, I could probably drive the latter, but here in London, I prefer the big red taxis.
More On Immunocore
I found this excellent article on Immunocore, which is the company behind the possible cancer cure, I mentioned yesterday. \Here’s a flavour of the article.
In all probability, Immunocore is the only company worldwide that has been able to develop a way to harness the power of the immune system’s natural-born killer cells: the T-cells of the blood that kill invading pathogens, like viruses and bacteria, the Independent reported.
Obviously, it’s too late for my wife and son, but hopefully it will bring a pathway to help others in the future.
The Only Problem With England Australia Tests
After the thrilling test match at Nottingham over the last five days, surely it shows that England Australia Test Matches are one of the most amazing sporting spectacles in the sporting world.
The only problem is that the various Test grounds here are too small, with the possibly exception of the Oval. But then as they were saying yesterday on Test Match Special, they are spreading the games a bit thin, with extra test venues, like Cardiff, Durham and the Rose Bowl coming on stream in the last few years.
Definitely gone are the days in the 1960s, when some of my schoolmates, used to get up early on the Saturday of the Lords Test, rush to the ground and buy tickets to get places on the grass, just beyond the boundary rope.
The Honourable Company Of Edinburgh Misogynists
The Sunday Times has it’s knives out for golf today, using the title of this post to describe the men-only club that runs Muirfield; the venue of this year’s Open Championship.
It would be interesting to know if the misogynists had ever had a gay member! The law of averages said that they must have!
Interestingly, the Mirror says this of Fred Goodwin in this article.
He also likes to shoot pheasants on a friend’s estate, and play leisurely rounds of golf at the historic Muirfield course.
Fred maybe a man whose business practices have been condemned, but I suppose he isn’t a woman!
A Man Bites Dog Story
Judging by how many times it has been read, the readers of the BBC web site, find this story, where a cow goes through the roof of a house and kills a man in his bed, funny.
But then anybody who has lived in the country, knows that farming is not a totally safe business.
Is This Bad News For Cancer?
This report from the Independent headlined, Exclusive: Cancer – A cure just got closer thanks to a tiny British company – and the result could change lives of millions, was flagged up on BBC Radio 5 this morning and is a fascinating read.
It seems that researchers may have found a way to get the body’s T-cells to attack the cancer cells.
I think everything in the report sounds feasible and the company in Oxford; Immunocore, have now got masses of backing from two of the largest pharmaceutical companies. So money for the research won’t be a problem.
In some ways, this research all fits with my belief that if you have a healthy immune system, you are less likely to get cancer. Hence my gluten-free diet and abhorrence of smoking.
Creamed Chicken With Asparagus And Peas
This was another of Lindsey Bareham’s recipes from The Times. The original recipe is here.
The original serves four, but it was only for me, I cooked a small half quantity and modified it to be gluten free. I also used various Waitrose products to avoid having to use skills I don’t have.
I used the following.
- 100 g of asparagus tips
- half a bunch of spring onions
- half a pack of Waitrose’s mini chicken fillets
- one tbsp of gluten-free flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
- 100 g of frozen petit pois, although mine were actually garden peas. It’s about a third of a standard Ipswich Town mug.
- 25 g butter
- a very small glass of white wine
- 2 tbsp of St. Helen’s Farm, goats double cream.
The method is as follows.
Trim the asparagus tips and boil hard for 2 minutes in about 250ml of salted boiling water. Scoop out of the water and set aside. Keep the water aside.
Slice the spring onions thinly.
Slice the chicken into strips, about 5 cm. x 1 cm. and toss in the seasoned flour.
Chicken Prepared For Cooking
Melt a few grams of the butter in a large frying pan and gently soften the onions, then scoop onto a plate.
Cooking The Spring Onions
Add the rest of the butter and increase the heat slightly. As soon as the butter has melted, cook the chicken in batches, so that each piece has a thin, pale golden crust.Return all the chicken, add the wine and stir vigorously with a wooden spoon to mix the flour from the chicken into the wine, cooking until thick and syrupy.
Cooking The Chicken
Return the onions, add the asparagus cooking water and bring to the boil, stirring constantly to end up with a thickened sauce.
Adding The Onions And Water
Add the peas and simmer gently, cooking for about 10 mins until chicken and peas are tender.
Cooking The Chicken And Peas
Stir in the cream and then add the asparagus.
Adding The Cream And Asparagus
Let the asparagus warm through and serve.
Creamed Chicken With Asparagus And Peas
I served it with some of Waitrose’s microwaveable pearl potatoes.
It was delicious.
Trade Unions Living In The Past
I was listening to Radio 5 this morning and a couple of Trade Union leaders said that we should open up the mines again and burn coal using carbon capture technology.
Who do they think they’re kidding?
I have serious doubts about this technology and don’t think I’ll ever see it working in my lifetime on a large scale. I put a few thoughts here. But don’t listen to me. In these two posts, Wikipedia details the limitations and cost. So it looks like an exopensive dead end, if you believe Wikipedia. I definitely agree!
One thing though, if we started deep mining coal, I doubt there would be queues of people wanting to work in the mines. But then we can always get a few thousand willing immigrants to do the work!
Is It Goodbye To Trafford General Hospital?
Trafford General Hospital is going to be downgraded in phases according to this report. Here’s the first three paragraphs.
Campaigners fighting to save a hospital A&E department where the first NHS patient was treated say they will challenge the decision in court.
Health secretary Jeremy Hunt said on Thursday that Trafford General Hospital was to be downgraded in phases.
He said the decision had been taken because there were too few patients using the department.
My son was in that hospital several times, a few months before he died and they had no idea he had pancreatic cancer.
I certainly won’t miss its passing and I suspect as it seems to be suffering from Stafford Syndrome, with a lack of patients, neither will any of the people who live near the hospital.
But then as long as I can remember, NHS patients have always chosen to go to a better hospital a few miles away. When I lived in Suffolk, my local hospital was at Bury St. Edmunds, but I always drove to Addenbrooke’s at Cambridge. I suspect the good people of Trafford, go to somewhere in Central Manchester.
But then the first sentence in the BBC report says it all. It treated the first NHS patient. But we don’t want to keep hospitals as museums!
The Anonymous Widower 