An Early Morning Raid On Waitrose
This morning I needed the usual Saturday morning shopping and as I’m going to Wolverhampton later this morning to see Ipswich play, I went to Waitrose early.
Or should I say two Waitroses, as due to their stocking policy, neither stocks all of my favourite gluten-free brands. First it was a visit to the littleWaitrose at Highbury Corner.
Highbury Corner littleWaitrose
All I bought was a Genius brown loaf, as my previous one was past my view of an eat-by date. It was then on a 43 bus to the Angel.
A 43 Bus To The Angel
And a walk round the corner to one of the smallest proper Waitroses in the country.
Waitrose At The Angel
I got the rest of my shopping here.
Just One Bag And A Loaf
It was just one small bag and a loaf, when I got home.
I suppose I could go to another bigger Waitrose, but then I’d have the problem of finding things in an unfamiliar store. And the Genius brown bread, seems to only be in the littleWaitroses. and decent gluten-free sausages don’t seem to be in any shop in London.
I think the bread and sausage problem is the same. Waitrose believes it’s own brands are good. They are very very wrong!
At least today, I didn’t have to get any EatNatural cereal, as you can only get the vinefruit flavour in Sainsburys. At least it’s at the Angel next to the Waitrose.
The chuggers were also still in their beds.
Where Are The Chuggers?
Or at least they hadn’t arrived yet!
Taking A Muffin Break
At Lewisham on the outrun to The Valley, I had plenty of time to change from the DLR to the 380 bus.
So I went into the shopping centre by the station, which could best be described as the shopping equivalent of the Kings Cross station extension. I’m sure the architect, thinks it’s one of his best pieces of work, but I thought, this is the sort of place, I walk quickly through.
I was looking for a coffee and suspected I might find a Starbucks or a Costa. I did find one of the latter, but it was rather busy, so I gave it a miss.
I did however find a coffee place called Muffin Break, with real cups and a sign that said gluten-free muffins. So I decided to at least have a try.
The picture doesn’t do the muffin justice, as it was moist, just crumbly enough and with a proper taste of berries. The later wasn’t surprising as it was a mixed berry muffin.
It was a complete surprise to find in that shopping centre in Lewisham.
Apparently, it’s a Canadian concept that has been developed by the Australians, where it has 179 stores out of 256 worldwide. Read their history here.
Who cares? It was a good muffin.
Fighting Cancer With A Trojan Horse
I like this report on the BBC web site. In brief the new therapy can be described like this.
The team hid cancer killing viruses inside the immune system in order to sneak them into a tumour.
Once inside, tens of thousands of viruses were released to kill the cancerous cells.
It certainly gives hope to cancer sufferers. Obviously, it has to be proven in humans, although as the study showed, it worked well in mice with prostate cancer.
I do think though, that we underestimate the value of the immune system in fighting cancer. Research has shown for instance, that those who eat their five portions of fruit and veg each day, have a better record against cancer, as do coeliacs, who stick to the gluten-free diet.
I also know of two people, one of whom was my son, who perhaps were not too sensible with their habits, who were thought by their respective families to be coeliacs. Both died of aggressive cancers.
I know two cases doesn’t prove a theory, but I do feel that as we learn more about the immune system and treatments such as this Trojan horse method, we will start to win the fight against cancer.
On the other hand, I totally despair as I pass the pub next door and see the smokers up to six deep on the pavement.
The Caballito de Mar Restaurant, Palma Majorca
Five years ago for my sixtieth birthday, C took me to Majorca. We stayed in an excellent hotel outside of Palma and she asked them to recommend a good restaurant that could do gluten-free food. They recommended the Caballito de Mar Restaurant on the avenue along the sea-front, underneath the town. It was excellent, so on my brief trip, I went back.
In fact, I went back again, as the sea bass was so good the first time.
The restaurant made up for the sub-standard hotel.
First Class to Leeds
I travelled in First Class to Leeds yesterday. I do get more and more fed up with the standard of the class on Saturdays.
I paid about thirty pounds more for a comfy seat, a table and two cups of coffee each way. My fellow travellers also got some rather boring-looking sandwiches both ways.
But I suspect, judging by the number of empty seats and those on Virgin a couple of weeks ago, the train companies First Class offerings on Saturday, are not the hottest product.
At least that on First Hull Trains is better! But on the other hand, it didn’t seem to sell many seats.
It strikes me though, that the train companies need to do a bit of thinking about their First Class product. And whilst they’re at it, they could look at their gluten-free offerings too!
Inciodentally, I had breakfast in Carluccio’s before I travelled and got some sandwiches from Marks and Spencer in Leeds station. I also noted that Leon’s restaurant had some good gluten-free breakfast offerings.
So some things are getting better, but the trains aren’t keeping up with the competition. Although you could argue, that the presence of Leon’s and Carluccio’s in stations, is down to policy changes at Network Rail.
Curry With A Kick?
I saw this sign in the window of a restaurant in Upper Street.
Curry With A Kick?
I wonder if it’s gluten free.
This Place Doesn’t Know Its Gluten From Its Elbow
I was walking along Piccadilly, when I saw a restaurant called Cafe de Pierre. It looked good, so I went in and asked about how coeliac friendly it was.
This Place Doesn’t Know Its Gluten From Its Elbow
I shouldn’t have bothered, as the waitress I spoke to had no idea, whether the food was gluten-free or not.
So coeliacs should probably give the restaurant a wide berth, until they get their act together.
An Excellent Gluten-Free Snack
I do like polenta cake, but Carluccio’s one seems to be difficult to find, although they do happen to have a chocolate and coconut one. But I’ve never liked coconut and especially those biscuits called Nice, which I think are Nasty. Today though the waitress offered me a cioccolato fondente from the gluten free menu.
An Excellent Gluten-Free Snack
I shall be having one again.
DNA Sequencing On The NHS
This is due to be announced soon and it’s already here on the Downing Street web-site.
Sadly, it’s too late for my wife and son, who died of cancer in 2007 2010 respectively.
My wife had a squamous cell carcinoma of the heart, which is so rare and deadly, that I don’t think any new technique would have helped. The doctors at Papworth Hospital, where she was treated had never seen such a vicious cancer. Short of a transplant or an unexpected miracle nothing could have saved her.
In my son’s case of pancreatic cancer, his lifestyle hadn’t helped and he might have stood a chance, if Trafford General Hospital where he was first treated in Manchester had picked it up earlier. As it is, they didn’t and Addenbrooke’s took their time too, as it was unexpected. Knowing what I know now, I would have got him to Cambridge earlier or taken him to Liverpool, where treatment of pancreatic cancer is a specialty.
So although the sequencing of cancer sufferers DNA will help in many cases, it wouldn’t have helped in their two cases, which were so tragic for my family.
What would have helped my son, would have been better diagnosis of his problem at an earlier date.
My wife went to the hospital fairly soon after she started running out of puff. She also led an exemplary life with regard to food, drink, not smoking and keeping very fit. Although that couldn’t be said for my son, who smoked heavily. And not just tobacco!
As an aside here, I am a coeliac.
This disease can be picked up by looking at the DNA. So if DNA sequencing becomes commonplace, looking for hereditary diseases like this may be a sensible and worthwhile use of the technique.
Four Gluten-Free Casseroles
The Times today, in the comic has four casserole recipes. All are gluten-free.
One doesn’t even need an oven.
I shall be trying one or more.
C and I always referred to the Colour Magazine in a newspaper as the comic. We once looked over a house in Primrose Hill, where the walls were decorated with pages from the Sunday Times Magazine. It was just after the strike and the owner of the house had acquired these magazines, which were not needed because the paper wasn’t published.
The Anonymous Widower 