Odd and Ends

A view into my tiny, efficient kitchen!

I have a fridge and a freezer and both a grill and oven. Here is a peek into my grill with a cauliflower browning. The best cauliflowers come from Saint Omer, France  a big vegetable growing area. We once had a wonderful Saturday in Saint Omer--from Dover through the Chunnel to St Omer, a big lunch, a shop at a wonderful market buying cauliflower, fresh scallops, dulce de leche,  roast beef fat then back through the Chunnel to Dover where we cooked dinner in a beach front cottage--the roast beef fat was saved for our fried bread breakfast.  Everything was memorable but I remember best the cauliflower and fried bread.

 I'm not sure where this cauliflower was from but it was smaller and sweeter than American ones.

My favorite grocery stores are Waitrose and Marks and Spencers but Waitrose will deliver free if you spend £60 which is not hard for us. I do a lot of cooking. Here is peek into my pantry. Notice the Kelloggs All-Bran Chocolate Wheats--not sweet but chocolately--very nice to munch on.

I often make lunch as we are out so much at night. Here is some soup from a recipe I found on the Lake District tour ( Sauté carrots and onions, then add a can of tomatoes and coconut milk. If I had my immersion blender, I would use that to blend it well but it is fine with chunks).  I served it with delicious soda bread and Stilton--the absolute King of Cheeses! I was told the other day that if Stilton begins to dry out, it can be softened with sherry! What a good idea--I will use our favorite, Crofts Original which I can never find in Columbia. It is a very light sherry with a unique delicious taste.

Several years ago Laura gave me this recipe, Rosemary Olive Oil Cake with Chocolate. And I always make it for house gifts here. I used to bring Bakers Chocolate over to make Brownies as they were an American novelty but now they are sold everywhere. This cake is novel and delicious. I made two in one week. I do have to go night gathering for rosemary which is abundant in our neighborhood. The local butcher has a huge shrub outside his shop.

I know I talk a lot about the food, but it is particularly good, especially the vegetables. They are so sweet. They don't last very long as I don't think they have preservatives. The English are particular about their food and support their small farmers. The farms and places where foods come from are noted. I order from Waitrose and read the reviews and people sometimes say that they are willing to pay more to support the farmers who produce quality food. I suppose in America these are the people who shop at Whole Foods and Rosewood Market. 

Below is a nice display of veggies.

I think that because UK is so small, it is easier to control the quality of the food. We have a friend here in Wolfson whom we have known for 20 years. She is a food inspector and checks out food coming from different countries to be sure it meets UK standards. In all my life, I have never known any food inspector but I am sure we have them. I wonder who they are.


On the other hand,  we were absolutely amazed when we discovered French Fry sandwiches in Durham a long time ago. I found a recipe recently! 

On Friday 19 February, we were on the way to a lecture about the brain when our porter offered us tickets to "Any Questions" which seems to be the most popular program on Radio 4 in UK. When we first arrived, there had been an email saying that if you wanted tickets to let the College secretary know. We had not heard of program so didn't get tickets. And they were gone, according to another email, in two hours.

Recently, Helen Bredin emailed me that we had to go to "Any Questions" which was being broadcast from Wolfson but, of course, there were no more tickets. But then we were offered these two tickets by the friendly porter, so we changed plans and went to AQ, recorded right here in Wolfson College. The host is Jonathan Dimbleby (true to Bill Bryson's observation of funny English names). This program has been going on since 1950! The format is that four distinguished personalities are invited to answer questions from an audience from public venues all over the country.  And it seems that everyone in Britain listens to this program.

We went home and read about AQ, Kevin wrote down a question--something about what the Brits think of Donald Trump and his success in American politics--and then we walked back through the College to Lee Hall. Kevin's question was chosen to be asked so he got a front row seat (several questions were turned down and the authors of those questions named--I was glad I had not asked a question and had my name mentioned as having a question not worthy for AQ!). 

The panelists included Damien Green (MP), Dan Hannan (MEP?), John Mills (Labour), Emily Thornberry (MP)--we had never heard of any of them but they were certainly articulate and showed the different sides of the current debate here in UK--BREXIT or should the UK exit the EU. We learned about the difficult choice which will be voted on later in a referendum. We were most impressed with the liberal socialist Emily Thornberry, an attractive woman who has a remarkable, low voice which seems always to end at persuasive closure. Of course, the conservatives on the end were very negative about her, even calling her out by name!

The other discussions involved the Trident Nuclear agreement in UK, the obesity crisis and should sugar be governed by law. Kevin's question was up next but unfortunately time gave out. 

It was great fun and we met interesting people. We stood out as the only people who had never listened to AQ in the audience. We did miss an excellent lecture about the brain.

We learned that "Any Answers,"  is broadcast the day after AQ and anyone can call in their own comments/answers to AQ!

Radio Four is wonderful and quite addictive. It is better than PBS because it includes original dramas, book and poetry readings and The Archers, a popular soap opera playing since 1951. Recently they have been reading Erica Jong's Fear of Flying. And the lyrical shipping news that Bill Bryson talks about runs on Radio Four several times a day. Here is a funny piece about Bryson that was in one of the Sunday news magazines.

I enjoyed his  most recent book, The Road to Little Dribbling. At times he seems a little curmudgeonly. But I absolutely love  the nice things he says about Durham where we lived in 1985-86 and where Helen earned 7 out of 8 O Levels (which doesn't mean much to Americans but had she ever wanted a job over here, most English people would be impressed with that.)

I laughed a lot and I liked best his random list on page 378 of  pleasing Brittanic things (my comments in parentheses):

Boxing Day

Country Pubs (which sometimes have the best trifle ever; certainly the best ploughmans lunch)

Saying "you're the dog's bollocks' as an expression of endearment or admiration (never heard this one  

           but once a woman called Kevin not just "flower" but "flower pot," as a term of endearment)

Jam roly-poly with custard (Kevin would say caramel slices; my Lake District walking buddies      

           would say Sticky Toffee Pudding--I might say a  country pub trifle!)

Ordnance Survey maps (good for walking!)

I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue
Cream Teas

The Shipping Forecast

The 20 piece  (I love these pretty little heptagons--three will get me a cappucino in the reading room)
June evenings, about 8 (I probably would change this to the English gloaming which in June might
        go on until 11:00)
Smelling the sea before you see it ( This seems universal to me)
Villages with ridiculous names like Shallow Bowells and Nether Wallop (Fishguard and Pity Me and Shincliffe)

Below is menu from a formal dinner at Kevin's old college, St. Johns. It was a lovely meal and I was the only woman in a group of eleven. The dessert course was a surprise. The linguist next to me translated it to mean the Bishop's Stinky Cheese fondue. (It is a good thing it was in French as who would want to eat the Bishop's stinky cheese? ) However, it was warm fondue and, yes, somewhat stinky,  served in a bowl with fat breadsticks to dip in and delicious.