Meat is an essential part of my diet. A meal is incomplete if it doesn’t have some kind of meat.
I don’t mind the occasional vegetarian meal. In fact, I have been known to order a vegetarian dish to have as a side for a meat dish. But I could never, willingly, become a vegan/vegetarian. What’s the difference?
As children in the 50’s & 60’s, my sisters and I were brought up on a hugely varied diet. My dad grew fruit and vegetables but also raised chicken and geese. So there was generally fresh chicken at least once a week and always eggs.
Naively, the geese were given names, and when “Ethel” drew the short straw at Christmas, we all tucked into roast goose. All that is except Mum, who, although a participant in the preparation and cooking, pushed her plate away, saying, “I can’t eat Ethel”. That was the first time I was confronted with the emotion that can be associated with meat eating. Although I believe it was more that the geese, having been given names, became pets. That was certainly the case with the remaining geese. Ethel’s solo sacrifice saved the many.
No such sentimentality from me, Dad, and my sisters. We happily finished our meal. That episode did nothing to reduce our meat consumption, which, along with lamb, pork, and beef, was supplemented by wild rabbit and pigeon. The rabbits were usually obtained by my dad going off-road to run them down on the grass verges at night, while he was on night duty as a policeman.
Dad ran our garden like a smallholding, so we ate rather well considering the era. In addition, Dad got me into fishing, which in turn triggered something in him. He made our fishing rods, built his own push nets, set sand-lines with 200+ hooks. So we had fresh fish and shrimp.
My freezer is a reflection of me and my eating habits. It has seven drawers full of meat, ranging from chicken thru to venison. I do have another, small, freezer which has just two drawers filled with vegetables.
So I have no qualms about eating meat. If I have any concerns, it’s more to do with the care and treatment of the animals from birth up to and including their death at the abattoir.
A collander full of homegrown tomatoes and chilli peppers.
The tomatoes are a mix of four varieties, and we are very pleased with the crop quantity and flavour.
Home Grown
I have yet to give the peppers the taste test. Honestly, I’m a little scared. I have no idea of the variety, so I don’t know where they sit on the Scoville Scale. The last time I bit into a fresh chilli, the juice raced over my tongue and down the back of my throat before the tip of my tongue could sound the alarm.
That experience has taught me to be a little more circumspect, to treat all chillies with a modicum of respect.
Having said that, I am a fan of chillies and curries. I like them to be punchy.
We are having a BBQ this weekend, I think I’ll concoct a chilli jam and set it on the table for as an experiment.
Nothing beats the aroma, taste, warmth and belly filling attributes of a good Cornish Pasty.
Not just any pasty will do. Not for me are those supermarket, factory produced pasties. Typically, they disappoint with their flaky pastry case filled with some kind of tasteless slop.
A true pasty has to be made with shortcrust pastry with a chunky “handle” around the perimeter. The filling should comprise chunky, not minced meat and potato, swede, onion. Other veggies are acceptable. The filling should fill the cavity, “floor to ceiling.” So often, the factory versions are just full of air.
Probably the reason the pasty is dear to my heart is that my mum used to regularly make them. The circle of pastry was dinner plate sized, filling added, then folded. So our dinner would be a pasty that filled half the plate, then additional veggies and gravy.
Also, we holidayed for many years in Cornwall. Highlights of those holidays had to be walking around Mevagissey with a freshly baked Cornish Pasty. Usually followed by clotted cream ice cream, but that’s the subject of a whole new post.
Which food, when you eat it, instantly transports you to childhood?
Believe it or not, the humble boiled egg, is the one food that truly transports me back.
When we were kids, there were chickens and geese in our backyard. My dad used to feed them on commercially available feeds, but Mum used to give them all the veggie scraps from the kitchen. Stuff like potato and carrot peelings, trimmings from home grown leeks and the leaves from cabbages and cauliflower.
It’s hard to describe the flavour. The yolk always had a rich taste. Something that your typical supermarket factory produced eggs fails to match. As soon as you crack the shell, lift the lid. You can tell the egg is not going to meet expectations. The colour of the yolk is a dead give away. My childhood eggs all had a rich golden yolk. Today’s supermarket offering tends to be a pale yellow.
Obviously, the birds diet has a lot to do with how the eggs look and taste.
When was the last time that childhood memory was triggered ?
We were on our way down to Central France and had stopped at a B&B. They had chooks roaming around their orchard. The eggs served for breakfast, supplied by those hens, were simply delicious.
Italian calzones. Turkish pide. Eastern European piroshki. Here are 3 highly portable recipes that are perfect for your socially distanced picnics. https://t.co/xkdm4JnJOn
My favourite Italian meal when I want something filling and satisfying. I always refer to Calzone as the Italian Pasty.
By the way, a proper Cornish Pasty is my, all time, favourite “pie”. But it has to have the crust to the side, and be made with short crust pastry. It should not be of the “ridgeback” design, or be made with flaky / puff pastry. There is nothing worse than getting a faceful of “shrapnel” or losing half the pastry as it disintegrates in your hand.
I have never tried either Turkish pide or the East European piroshki referenced in this article. But they are now firmly on my food bucket list.
I am currently languishing in the Perth suburbs, Western Australia.
Last October, my son-in-law Steve was diagnosed with a brain tumour (glioblastoma). Very quickly, following the diagnosis, he was whisked into hospital for brain surgery. At the time we didn’t know how much after care he would need but we offered to help out and so my wife and I travelled out to Oz to provide support.
After care wasn’t the issue. Steve really recovered well after the surgery with no real pain and none of the residual weakness that would have been present following an abdominal or chest operation.
No, the follow up treatment and schedule was the real issue.
The radiotherapy was daily, Monday to Friday, for six weeks. Whilst the chemotherapy was tablet form, taken daily Monday to Sunday during the same six weeks. Following the surgery Steve was forbidden to drive for the next six to twelve months. So, to enable my daughter to carry on working, my role was to act as chauffer. Daily trips to Fiona Stanley Hospital, Perth interspersed with trips to Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, also in Perth. As well as various trips for blood tests and scans.
As the chemo built up in his system, the expected nausea and fatigue and exhaustion also built up. Alongside all this came the loss of appetite and corruption of taste buds.
And here is the conundrum.
What do you feed someone, who has all this going on ?
Even after the initial course of chemo and radio therapies has been completed, the dietary disruption continues.
After all, it is hard enough, under normal circumstances, to cater for the normal familial likes and dislikes of
a granddaughter who doesn’t eat meat that isn’t chicken or ham (unless its a burger or a rissole, then almost anything goes) and has a limited set of veggie likes (eats broccoli and cauliflower but not green beans or pumpkin). By the way she loves fish but won’t eat salmon.
a wife who loves fish especially salmon, has a short list of veggies (eats cauliflower but not broccoli and no sprouts or carrots) and doesn’t eat “spicy” food or creamy food i.e. white sauces are something of a minefield. Still waiting for the clear definition of what constitutes spicy.
a daughter who also doesn’t like “spicy” food, likes fish that isn’t salmon or trout. Not sure about tuna ??? Eats most veggies (definitely no sprouts) and all non chicken meats have to be cooked to near charcoal point i.e. no pink
Before the tumour and chemo, Steve used to pretty much eat everything. Now he finds the flavour of most foods to be too strong, overpowering.
So, bland is the order of the day. Steamed fish or chicken predominates. Or the same but simply pan fried or baked. No sauces and definitely no herbs or spices. Some meals comprise just two tenderloin chicken pieces, total weight around 60g, steamed and maybe accompanied by a couple of carrot batons and/or a small broccoli floret.
So, how do I feed Steve without overpowering his hypersensitive taste-buds ? How do I coax him to eat a bit more as his energy levels are already depleted due to the chemo ? The lack of food does nothing to boost those already depleted levels. How do I introduce a bit of variety to his diet ?
Although he completed the initial concurrent chemo / radio therapies, my son-in-law has now started a new regime. He takes a five day course of tablet form chemotherapy, one week in four.
So, the disruption to taste, appetite, stamina and energy levels will be continuing for the next six months at least, maybe even for twelve.
It was my wife’s birthday a couple of weeks ago and as a special treat I took her up to London for a bit of sight-seeing, a meal or two and a show. We stayed at the Citadines Hotel Trafalgar Square which, although not cheap, is very handy for all the touristy things in our great capital city.
Citadines Hotel Trafalgar Square
A surprise notification of a parcel delivery delayed our departure, causing us to arrive in the late afternoon. On arrival we were efficiently checked in, and soon installed in our room. As we were meeting up with our granddaughter and her husband later for a meal we didn’t immediately head out to explore. Our decision was cemented by the fact that it was raining outside. We therefore, elected to relax a little, with a cup of tea.
Later that evening we met up with Hayley and Nick, at Skylon where we had a very enjoyable meal.
To start, Gerry had Pressed Watermelon (with Avocado, Shimeji mushrooms, yellow baby plum tomato, lemongrass, chickweed), Hayley had Smoked Salmon cannelloni (Creme fraiche, gribiche, salmon caviar, chervil). Nick and I both elected to have the Pan seared foie gras (Pickled cherries, apricot gel, toasted hazelnuts, oats, nasturtium leaves, cherry blossom).
For the main course I had Scottish Angus Cross beef fillet (Wild garlic, grelot onions, crispy shallots) while the others all chose the Roasted Lamb cannon (Crispy belly, wild mushrooms, baby artichokes, cherry tomatoes).
A hard act to follow but none of us could resist having a dessert. Gerry, a sucker for strawberries, had the Gariguette Strawberries (Elderflower meringue, rose jelly, strawberry sorbet) while the rest of us plumped for the Iced Cappuccino Souffle (Bailey’s chocolate bon-bon). Gerry’s dessert looked fabulous ….
Skylon – Gariguette Strawberries
All of the food was superb and even better, that evening, there was a fifty percent discount celebrating Skylons new chef. Suitably sated and buoyed by a great evening we trudged back over the river to our hotel for a good nights rest.
The next morning we headed out to do a bit of touristy exploring. Our initial target destination was Westminster Abbey. Neither of us having been there before, despite many visits to London.
Whitehall – London
Travelling on foot we strolled through Whitehall Gardens, situated between the Whitehall buildings and the embankment….
Statue – Sir James Outram
Statue – Sir Henry Bartle Frere
Statur – William Tyndale
There are three statues within Whitehall Gardens. They commemorate William Tyndale an English scholar who became well-known for his translation of the Bible into English, Sir Henry Bartle Frere a British colonial administrator who had a successful career in India eventually rising to become Governor of Bombay and General Sir James Outram an English general who fought in the Indian Rebellion of 1857.
Looking across the river we had a distant view of the Shard seeming surrounded by the many cranes that dot the London skyline.
Shard – London
None of those cranes are anywhere near the Shard, just an illusion of perspective.
Also across the river is the iconic London Eye, towering over the nearby buildings. Principle amongst them is London’s County Hall.
London Eye & London County Hall
As you can see from the sky, the weather was very dull. Although, thankfully, not a drop of rain.
As we strolled along the embankment we came across the Battle of Britain Memorial Sculpture. A very striking work which certainly captures the emotion and horror of the times.
Battle of Britain Memorial – London
Battle of Britain Memorial – London
Battle of Britain Memorial – London
By now we were in sight of the Palace of Westminster, aka the Houses of Parliament.
Elizabeth Tower (aka Big Ben)
Elizabeth Tower (aka Big Ben)
We arrived at Westminster Abbey shortly after eleven AM and joined the throng making their way inside this ancient building.
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
Not unexpected, but security is tight and, from the notices, I was concerned that my camera bag might be deemed too big. However, after a short wait in a queue and a cursory check by the security guard we were in. Unfortunately, no photography of any kind is allowed inside the abbey. So the previous shots are all either outside or in and around the cloisters. However, they do make photos available for download, free. So here are a few ….
Tomb of Mary Queen of Scots – Westminster Abbey
The Quire – Westminster Abbey
Tomb of the Unknown Warrior – Westminster Abbey
The High Alter – Westminster Abbey
Tomb of Elizabeth 1 – Westminster Abbey
The Nave – Westminster Abbey
After so much history and culture we were not a little peckish. So we partook of a rather nice lunch in the Abbey Cellarium Cafe where Gerry had the Bream and I had the Chicken & Leek Pie.
After lunch we strolled over to Covent Garden. Enroute we passed the Cenotaph and the Monument to the Women of World War II. The Cenotaph was originally a temporary structure, erected for a peace parade following the end of the First World War. It was replaced in 1920 by a permanent structure and designated the United Kingdom’s official national war memorial.
Monument to the Women of World War II
The Cenotaph, Whitehall, London
The Monument to the Women of World War II depicts 17 sets of clothing and uniforms around the sides, symbolising the hundreds of jobs women undertook in World War II, and then gave back for the homecoming men at the end of the war. They include uniforms as worn by the Women’s Land Army, Women’s Royal Naval Service, a nursing cape, and a police overall.
Also along the route we passed Downing Street, Horse Guards and the Coliseum Theatre, our venue for later this evening.
Coliseum Theatre
Horse Guard
Covent Garden is a district of Westminster and is associated with the former fruit-and-vegetable market which is now a popular shopping and tourist site. The district is a mix of independent shops, street performers and historical buildings, theatres and entertainment facilities, including the London Transport Museum and the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane.
As we arrived there was an escapologist reaching his grand finale. We spent an hour or so browsing the many shops and stalls intermittently being entertained. There was a juggler ….
Juggler – Covent Garden
…… a contortionist or, as he would have it, a Yogi ….
Contortionist – Covent Garden
And then while we were sitting having a cup of tea we were entertained musically by an opera singer, followed by a string quartet ….
Impromptu Dancer – Covent Garden
String Quartet – Covent Garden
Opera Singer – Covent Garden
After a super day we headed back to our hotel to freshen up before heading out to the theatre where our day was completed by possibly the best show in London at the moment, Bat out of Hell, the musical.
WrAnTz 