| 13 matches for "Food" in the Tag Cloud | | Tue, 02 Mar 2010 14:49:06 +0000 |
| Hate to be late? / Marmite cereal bar.. |
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A small free sample was dropped through the door yesterday, promising a "free sample of Marmite toothpaste" - can you imagine that? I'm quite a Marmite fan though and excitedly opened it, only to find a Marmite cereal bar inside; no toothpaste sadly. Yes, of course I've emailed them to complain.. Anyway, a few moments ago I decided to try the cereal bar to see what it was like. Sadly, it won't appeal to the people who buy Tracker cereal bars as apparently there's practically no sugar. Likewise it definitely won't appeal to Marmite lovers as there's only the merest hint of Marmite flavour; so little in fact that I'd suggest that if the packaging didn't state "Marmite" you wouldn't actually guess. Surprisingly for a snack maven I didn't find it interesting enough to finish, and it now resides in the bin next to my desk. I'll score it 4/10, mainly for the clever packaging.. Meanwhile, bring on the toothpaste - I can't wait! |
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| Mon, 11 Jan 2010 17:44:51 +0000 |
| Interesting to note during my lunchtime trip to Sa |
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Interesting to note during my lunchtime trip to Sainsburys that there was a lot more British fruit and veg on display. Presumably the usual expensively-imported stuff can't reach us by air and we're now giving British farmers a boost. Even a bunch of tulips was a very reasonable 2.99 and were British grown as well. Perhaps this seasonable cold spell will see us (re)developing our taste for home-grown: it may not not be any cheaper but at least it won't have travel thousands of miles to get here! |
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| Fri, 09 Jan 2009 22:23:14 +0000 |
| A culinary challenge coming up.. |
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As we enjoyed our Czech food so much over Xmas (apart from my rubbish ghulash and V's salad dressing made of mayo+soy sauce), I've decided to have a go myself tomorrow when she comes over. So, I'll be attempting: onion and cheese soup served in bowls made of bread, followed by baked, breaded carp and dumplings with seasonal veg. Topped off with vanilla and choc cheesecake. Staropramen to drink and if V remembers the booze, absinthe, Becherovka and Slivovice to er, finish us off. Pix will follow! |
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| Thu, 13 Nov 2008 18:25:11 +0000 |
| The return of Common Sense (Part 1).. |
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It was great to hear the other day that after years of dictating the size and shape of member states' fruit and vegetables, the Brussels crackpots are now relenting and we'll be able to buy oddly-shaped produce once again! According to the BBC, rules for 26 fruit and vegetable will be scrapped (10 retained) but even these will still be on sales if if labelled as "for processing". Well I intend to process them by peeling and steaming them - great news for the consumer and the environment alike. The 26 freely-available varieties are: "Apricots, artichokes, asparagus, aubergines, avocados, beans, brussels sprouts, cauliflowers, cherries, courgettes, cucumbers, cultivated mushrooms, garlic, hazelnuts in shell, headed cabbage, leeks, melons, onions, peas, plums, ribbed celery, spinach, walnuts in shell, watermelons, witloof chicory" and the 10 borderline cases are: "Apples, citrus fruit, kiwi fruit, lettuces and endives, peaches and nectarines, pears, strawberries, sweet peppers, table grapes, tomatoes". See more on the BBC here. |
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| Sun, 29 Jul 2007 17:21:32 +0000 |
| Slam in the Lamb (2) |
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Uh.. well that was one *HELL* of a party. I woke up about an hour ago. Yesterday, four of us went to a friend's house in rural Berkshire in the middle of nowhere. The house has a postcode but my SatNav said "unnamed road": we got there ok though. On the way we picked up a 22Kg lamb from the butcher and went to the local hardware store to buy metal rods to make a roasting frame. Another guest brought bags of BBQ coal for the fire. We already had what seemed like 40Kg of assorted veg in the back of the car (a small Suzuki hatch).It was quite a sight to see two guys cuddling a 22Kg lamb on their laps in the back of the car :-) We built a BBQ out of pallets and made a roasting frame onto which we wired the lamb. There was sooooooo much booze: I mean just *soooooo* much. The lamb took around 5 hours to cook and naturally we had a few drinks beforehand as you can imagine. At one stage I was making snakebites out of scrumpy and Tennents Extra. About 30 people turned up and we just partied - there was still booze left over at the end of the night. After the meal we did the "traditional" thing and built a bonfire with yet more pallets and scrap wood. 5 litres of petrol helped it start as it was raining by now. I spent the night in my bivi bag in the garden and drove home this morning at 4.30am. I think I want to die now (but I'm looking forward to the next one :-) |
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| Tue, 13 Feb 2007 20:56:11 +0000 |
| Turkey troubles.. |
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An interesting situation tonight as I gather news on the H5N1 outbreak from two sources. There are two articles posted on meatinfo.co.uk: one on the 11th which states that despite the fact that 20 tons of turkey meat was being imported from a region in Hungary that was known to be near an outbreak (in Hungary) and government inspectors knew this but took no action. Worryingly, the import was allowed to continue because "blocking [them] would have breached EU rules(!) and risked continent-wide retaliation against the UK's poultry industry". Wow. So to me that means that even if 20 tons of allegedly diseased meat is heading our way we still have to accept it just in case we upset someone? Try telling that to the French: remember the boeuf ban? But there's more, and it gets worse IMHO. Not content with allowing the aforementioned folly, meatinfo.co.uk posts an article the next day to say that the troubled Bernard Matthews facility was then exporting *cooked* turkey products back to Hungary!!! Now call me naive, but if you have a viral outbreak in two centres in two countries that to all intents and purposes are identical (DEFRA: "The Veterinary Laboratory Agency (VLA) analysis has revealed a very high similarity (99.96%) between the H5N1 viruses found in Suffolk and the Hungarian outbreaks at the whole genome level. These results indicate that the viruses are essentially identical") the last thing you want to do is to go and increase the risk by transporting raw and cooked meats between the two? Incidentally, if you're wondering how much 20 tons is, it's approximately 3 London double-decker buses. There's also been a bit of a U-turn as regards the source of the outbreak: previously it was claimed that wild birds were the most like source of the outbreak, but a Deputy Chief Vet has been quoted as saying that they have a "working hypothesis that poultry to poultry transmission is the most likely source of the outbreak, although "they are not discounting any line of investigation". So although it would be convenient to be able to rule out the meat transport option it's highly unlikely at this moment in time. We're also getting some "advice" from the FSA blog in which it's claimed that "it's unlikely that a product harbouring the bird flu virus would ever reach the UK food chain...there are a number of factors that would stop someone becoming infected with it, even if they did eat an affected product". Leaving aside the second part of that statement surely that's exactly what has happened? Not only that, its gone back again! That entry was posted on the 6th Feb and there has been no retraction or qualifying posting. I think in the end, looking at all the factors and the uncomfortable "fit" of some of the stories we should just trust our own instincts: from what I can see its business interests overriding the national health and that can't be right surely? We have the freedom of choice and now would be a very good time to use it. More later.. |
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| Wed, 07 Feb 2007 19:26:01 +0000 |
| Chicken Stricken (3).. |
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Ok, last bird entry of the day.. I promise. Popped into the Co-op tonight as I'd left my pork chop in the fridge at work and checked out the chicken there: "reduced for quick sale" - says it all really. The problem also seems to have disappeared off most of the media's radar: I had to search quite hard on the BBC site and there was no update at all on the Number 10 site. I guess David Miliband's blog entry was enough! Out of sight out of mind eh? |
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| Wed, 07 Feb 2007 14:11:00 +0000 |
| Chicken Stricken (2).. |
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And so to Sainsbury's, where I decided to buy lunch as I was at that end of the town, and what better oppourtunity to see how their chicken and turkey sales are doing. Well, the picture says it all - fully-stocked chiller at midday and swingeing price cuts. I remarked to the checkout lady that "the chicken wasn't selling too well" to which she replied "Oh, I hadn't noticed..", and then, "..I have a load of cooked chicken in the fridge at home..". People are obviously taking notice of the situation and while a lot of people aren't openly admitting it, their attitude to eating chicken and turkey is changing. If you actually work in the grocery trade I guess you must be more exposed to a food crisis and this makes the "facts" presented through smoke, mirrors and a government talking head "guided" by the food industry harder to swallow. A bit like the chicken mountain that's growing in size day by day. Oh yes, and I'm having a pork chop tonight :-) |
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| Tue, 06 Feb 2007 22:49:01 +0000 |
| H5N1 avian flu update.. |
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I've just been trawling the DEFRA web site and have found a page that is regularly updated * with status reports including an interactive map. Well worth a look if you like to see how a problem spreads. At the same time, it seems that pigs may also be susceptible to avian flu and there are a list of guidelines for farmers to follow (this also includes pet pigs). They ask, "Would pig meat already in the food chain from premises found to have infected animals be affected?" and the official reply is: "There is no need for official action". Now what does that mean exactly? More on this as it happens. |
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| Tue, 06 Feb 2007 13:52:59 +0000 |
| Chicken stricken.. |
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My theory that the avian flu (H5N1) crisis would cause a reaction in the retail trade was proved right today as a trip to my local superstore revealed savage price cuts (see pix). Normally one to take advantage of a good deal, I restrained myself and headed straight for the frozen veg to buy peas and soya beans. Bernard Matthews looks to be taking quite a hit and I can't help wondering if he'll survive this one, although if the markup is anything to go by I suspect that the retailers will still (just) make a profit. Also see the pic from a meat-industry web site regarding profits. I also suspect that there's a large backlog of meat that was "harvested" just before the crisis became apparent and that this is now sitting in a warehouse somewhere feelign distinctly unloved. I guess that this will end up as unbranded/own label economy cuts and maybe even filter down to the ever-eager grey market. Pure supposition of course, but if you had umpteen tons of good-quality meat with a tarnished reputation to shift, what would you do with it? After all, DEFRA and the government seem to be on top of the situation and we can all trust the government, right? You may have to scroll down to see the PMs' erudite summation of the situation. Please stay tuned for further reports, straight from the horse's mouth! (PS.. please note that the images are not intended as an advertisement - simply drawing your attention to how bad it's getting). |
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| Sun, 04 Feb 2007 11:50:30 +0000 |
| New cups.. |
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I was getting a bit bored of the selection of what I can only describe as "utility" cups and mugs that came over from Alton, so I invested in some nicer ones from Whittards yesterday. And very smart they look too: the "Caribbean" style hold sufficient espresso to make Mondays bearable while the smaller "Italiano" look very cool. As I seem to be drinking lots of coffee now I also bought two packs of Tchibo's finest Espresso to complement tne delicious Brazilian blend we already have. Yummy! |
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| Sun, 28 Jan 2007 20:34:31 +0000 |
| Daily bread.. |
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One thing I staked a claim on quite early in the divorce proceedings was the bread maker: a fine piece of Japanese engineering that makes consistently fine bread. Since moving to Woking it's seen regular use and there's been quite a bit of experimentation. If I can restrain myself long enough there'll be beer bread at some stage (two attempts so far). Today I've baked two loaves and we've nearly eaten one already, but it's such good bread. 4 hours to bake and no added junk. Delicious! |
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| Fri, 26 Jan 2007 19:59:43 +0000 |
| Things not to do on a Friday.. |
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Okayeeeeee.. don't try this at home. Do not take allegedly odo(u)r-free, "tasteless" cod liver oil capsules on an empty stomach and then eat a hearty evening meal, unless going down on an endangered species is your idea of fun. It isn't mine. More salient advice soon. |
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