|
Post by bixaorellana on Apr 1, 2012 15:32:55 GMT
I'm curious as to British reactions to that article, which was written by an American. Is it an accurate depiction of prevalent attitudes?
Also, how could a pasty be called a snack? Even if you didn't know what it was, it's obvious from the context that it is consumed as a meal.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2012 16:32:09 GMT
The size of certain things that people consider a "snack" continually astounds me.
|
|
|
Post by fumobici on Apr 1, 2012 20:09:49 GMT
Weren't pasties something wives made for their husbands to take down into the coal or tin mines for lunch or something? Seems like I read something like that. I think they still carry a class stigma for people who worry about such. I love a good pasty!
Obviously the lower classes need to contribute more and the upper classes less to the public treasury, as the upper classes need every penny to create jobs! It's only fair.
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 1, 2012 20:20:38 GMT
If only the British would learn the proper pronunciation.
|
|
|
Post by auntieannie on Apr 1, 2012 21:45:05 GMT
The thing that really really annoyed people is the "granny tax" and how the government keeps allowing the rich to become richer and the poor to become poorer.
|
|
|
Post by auntieannie on Apr 1, 2012 21:49:02 GMT
well... the above is what I think and I refuse to comment much more. I have gotten all twitchy all of a sudden.
|
|
|
Post by fumobici on Apr 1, 2012 22:58:28 GMT
The thing that really really annoyed people is the "granny tax" and how the government keeps allowing the rich to become richer and the poor to become poorer. That's why they are being paid! It is, after all is said and done, their job. Poor people cannot provide the same incentives and inducements.
|
|
|
Post by auntieannie on Apr 2, 2012 17:11:26 GMT
sure, but there are more and more poor and less and less rich. so in the end, their plan doesn't work. better get as many people as possible a decent salary and then they will all be able to worry less... and pay more taxes and spend more money...
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Apr 2, 2012 18:12:42 GMT
I think Fumobici is being facetious, but also cynically accurate.
|
|
|
Post by imec on Apr 2, 2012 21:22:07 GMT
I get real uncomfortable with discussions that talk about the "rich" and "poor" as if that's all there is. The reality is that most people in countries such as Britain are somewhere in the middle - these are the people paying most of the taxes and surely that's the way it should be no? They are using the bulk of the services provided and they REQUIRE the safety net of social assistance, unemployment insurance etc. Work hard in this environment and they can live a very comfortable life - make some wise choices and they could even become rich. Make some poor choices (or, granted, merely suffer some bad luck) and they could become poor.
While I don't like to see anyone deprived of the basic necessities of food, shelter etc., I'm not sure it makes sense to fund the poor to the level of the "middle class" - where then is any incentive to reach that level?
|
|
|
Post by auntieannie on Apr 2, 2012 21:45:37 GMT
oh, yes, Imec. I was generalising, however it is true that the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer and I have no problem with "the rich" getting richer, I have a problem with "the poor" getting poorer as it becomes virtually impossible for them to even dream of getting out of their predicament.
Coming from a "rich" country (Switzerland) it really shocks me how the only way for many here in the UK to better their lives in any way is to win the lottery. I moved into the UK when the work situation was better than now and even then I was surprised at how employment works here. I mean, it is great! People gave me a chance that I might not have been given in Switzerland because here people don't care what you want to make of your life, if you apply for a job and they think you fit the bill, they'll give you a chance and if you don't fit the bill you'll find yourself out the door quite quickly, but at the same time ... oh, gosh... that's getting complicated.... um ... maybe it's the area where I live or the businesses I've worked in but gosh! the back stabbing and the low pay and so many absolutely hate their jobs but they won't even look for another one. They just make everybody else miserable instead. Or if they're women, they get pregnant and they stay home for a year...But it's a bit late for me to have such a conversation. Not sure I am expressing myself in the right way there. But don't start me on the culture of benefits... best way to get me up the wall. Right at the top where it meets the ceiling.
|
|
|
Post by imec on Apr 2, 2012 23:50:09 GMT
I have a problem with "the poor" getting poorer I do too. It makes me very sad. And to make matters worse, even the very poorest can have children - those poor buggers don't stand a chance.
|
|
|
Post by auntieannie on Apr 3, 2012 11:50:28 GMT
I think Fumobici is being facetious, but also cynically accurate. better to laugh about it... otherwise we'll start crying.
|
|
|
Post by auntieannie on Apr 3, 2012 11:54:08 GMT
Imec... the last thing to go is hope. And for these people every child is one more bit of hope that things could get better. The only way is education. education. education. (have you noticed how the higher the level of education the lower the pregnancy rate/the older the parents are?)
|
|
|
Post by imec on Apr 3, 2012 12:04:09 GMT
(have you noticed how the higher the level of education the lower the pregnancy rate/the older the parents are?) Yes. Around here the poor seem to have a much higher birth rate - and the number of these kids born with FASD or issues related to solvent abuse is staggering.
|
|
|
Post by onlymark on Dec 5, 2012 11:35:13 GMT
Maybe the turning of the tide back to traditional food? In Nottingham it was always traditional that mushy peas were served with mint sauce and on their own, not as an accompaniment but as a stand alone dish. This is where I got my liking for them over the years. They were still served with fish and chips if required (but without the mint sauce, just salt and vinegar), but there was no problem if you wanted to have a bowl of them and nothing else. However - The dish is traditionally eaten at the city's annual Goose Fair, but Nottingham's only permanent outlet closed a few years ago.But, all is not lost - A former Sheriff of Nottingham and her husband are behind the new Robin Hood-themed mushy pea stall, and hope it will promote the city and its dish.To promote the new start up Robin Hood in the flesh will be there but unfortunately will not be serving anyone. Why............? - .....because I haven't got my food hygiene certificate. Outlaws don't tend to have those.www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-20600764
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Dec 5, 2012 12:01:36 GMT
Thank you for that information Mark. I would never have associated Nottingham with mushy peas. At least there was no sign of them when I strolled through the Nottingham streets!
I do have a packet of Marrowfat Peas in my store cupboard so that I can make mushies when next deciding that our meal will be either fish 'n chips OR Steak pie ( probably made with ale). When with our friends in Rossendale I watched the experts make mushy peas. If anyone thought you just boiled up a load of dried peas....Oh no! There has to be a potato cut in small cubes and added sometime in the cooking process. This is what thickens the liquid. When I do mine I will also add stock cubes for more flavour. Mark, being an Englishman - do you have any other mushy tips for me?
|
|
|
Post by onlymark on Dec 5, 2012 13:14:50 GMT
I use dried peas, as one should. Tinned marrowfat peas are ok but I suppose they need the potato etc to make them thicker. Normally there's none of that in proper mushy peas. I've also seen 'experts' just boil up some fresh or frozen peas then put them in a blender - sacrilege. What I do for one portion for me (large portion though) is as follows. This is a recipe handed down from generation to generation ever since the middle ages when teeth were difficult to retain and soft food was needed -
250g dried marrowfat peas or in fact any dried peas 2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda/baking soda
Place the peas in a large bowl or stock pot, the peas will swell and so need plenty of room to expand. Add the bicarbonate and cover with 1½ pints boiling water and stir to make sure the bicarbonate has dissolved. Leave to soak overnight, or for a minimum of 12 hours. Drain and rinse the peas then place in a large saucepan, just cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Lower the heat and simmer for approx 30 mins or until the peas have softened and turned mushy. Be careful of them burning underneath when nearly done but try not to stir too much as it will break them up more than wanted. Season with salt and pepper to taste - and/or mint sauce like I do.
|
|
|
Post by cheerypeabrain on Feb 10, 2013 16:01:43 GMT
I don't like mushy peas....bleauh..... On Thursday my sister and I had a pub lunch....I thought that hers was cute. It's supposed to be 'Toad in the Hole' which traditionally is a yorkshire pudding cooked with sausages 'embedded' in it....this meal however was a large dish shaped yorkshire pudding, with vegetables (spicy red cabbage and glazed carrots) along with chive mashed potato served inside the batter 'dish' there were 2 chunky Lincolnshire sausages popped on top and a gravy sauce...slurp.... we ate in the 'snug'....the pub is very old and supposed to be haunted..... that's my half of bitter (well it was lunchtime...)
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Feb 10, 2013 17:02:56 GMT
I like cooked split peas, which is what I assume mushy peas are, but "mushy peas" is a terrible name. Serving the dish with mint sauce is interesting, although it would make me yearn for a lamb chop on the side.
Cheery, I want your sister's lunch! Cute, yes, but it must have been nice & filling, too. The pub looks wonderful. What did you have?
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Feb 11, 2013 0:01:03 GMT
That is one beautiful lunch!
|
|
|
Post by cheerypeabrain on Feb 11, 2013 18:12:15 GMT
I had a chicken and stretched pork pie with the same veg and fried potatoes....but it wasn't as pretty. If I'd known that I could have had chive mash I'd have chosen that...as it was I asked for the fried potatoes as it was supposed to come with garlic mash (I loathe garlic)...as it was the chips were a step too far for me...the meat was lovely, as were the veg. (n.b. Stretched pork = a ham hock, cooked and the meat scraped off with a fork so that it's sort of 'shredded')
|
|
|
Post by cheerypeabrain on Feb 11, 2013 18:17:35 GMT
Took DiL for a coffee and a cake at Patisserie Valerie the other day....neither of us could eat more than half of our pastry...and the waiter wrapped them beautifully for us to take the other halves home... DiL had lemon cheesecake I had THIS....
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Feb 11, 2013 18:25:17 GMT
That is a mille-feuilles, often called a Napoleon in English-speaking countries. The portions are definitely too big for anyone who has already eaten a meal the same day. Looks good, though!
|
|
|
Post by mossie on Feb 11, 2013 19:22:00 GMT
|
|
|
Post by bixaorellana on Feb 11, 2013 20:36:39 GMT
Cheery, is stretched pork what I know as pulled pork? That was a big meal!
Pretty desserts, and the coffee looks fabulous as well.
|
|
|
Post by mich64 on Feb 11, 2013 21:23:12 GMT
Oh Cheery, everything looks delicious. Even the coffee and I do not drink coffee but found I wished I could have drank that whole cup!
|
|
|
Post by tod2 on Feb 27, 2014 7:07:02 GMT
I was sent this article from my Borough Market news letter and found it very interesting. Maybe someone else would like to add other bits and bobs about other cheeses of the world? For instance; I took a train to Meaux some Paris trips ago just to see where the famous Brie de Meaux comes from. I could have bought it in any Paris Fromagerie but the little village is worth a day trip and the journey back with my precious Brie de Meaux, a baguette and some wine, turned into a lovely evening picnic!
ARTISAN SOMERSET CHEDDAR Somerset was the birthplace of cheddar cheese—named after a small village on the southern edge of the Mendip Hills. Once upon a time there were 400 producers of artisan Somerset cheddar, a complex, sprightly masterpiece of cow’s milk and calf’s rennet: now there’s just a handful. The artisan cheeses produced by Montgomery’s, Westcombe and Keen’s comprise some of Neal’s Yard Dairy’s bestselling products—although when you see them sitting in their huge, musty-coloured wheels on the shelves of the dairy, it’s hard to believe it at first. Have a slice from inside, however, and you’ll very quickly smell and taste why.
There, nestled within the grey cloth—lard soaked muslin, it turns out—that covers the wheel of cheese, lies an edible heirloom. Its heritage has garnered artisan Somerset cheddar protected status from the EU, and the enviable distinction of being among the Presidia of Slow Food. The lard-soaked muslin is a key part of that heritage, used to bind the curds after they have been pressed into cylindrical moulds, allowing them to breathe as they age for between 11 and 18 months. Yet this is but the closing chapter of a labour-intensive process that has passed down over generations of Somerset dairy farmers, virtually unchanged.
The first stage lies with the cows, which graze out in the fields from April to November and in winter feast on grass silage grown on the cheesemaker’s farm. Fertile soils, lush grasses and fresh spring water provide the perfect climate for producing good quality milk. Because the milk is not pasteurised before being used, the dairies have to make the cheese within 12 hours of milking—transporting the milk, still warm, directly to the dairy. Here the traditional calf’s rennet and pint culture are added to make the curds.
Pint cultures—old strains of bacteria based on traditional local micro flora—are rarely used these days, when starter cultures can be so easily obtained in ready-to-use powders called DVIs. Pint cultures are harder to store and transport, and using them demands greater expertise from the cheesemaker. But the very qualities that make their inclusion so challenging are what give artisan Somerset cheddar its character.
“Each cheese tastes slightly different according to which strain of culture has been used,” explains Lydia of Neal’s Yard Dairy, “and they have to change it often to avoid phages [viruses which damage the bacteria].” George Keen of Keen’s, a fifth generation cheesemaker, has six different strains on rotation: “One for every day we make cheese.” Add that to the subtle variations that come with any handmade product and you have a cheese which “shows constant variety”, Lydia testifies: not in quality, but in the delicate balance of caramelised milk, hazelnut, mustard and herbaceous flavours.
“Everything is done by eye or feel,” explains George Keen, “whereas machines are programmed in seconds—milliseconds even. Different cheesemakers have slightly different ways of working. Milk changes according to seasons.” It’s for this reason that Neal’s Yard Dairy visits the three farms every eight weeks. “What you find at other suppliers, while still very good, is cheese that our buyers have turned down,” Lydia explains, “because artisan Somerset cheddar tastes hugely different from one day’s make to the next—and we get first dibs!”
Under the watchful eye of the cheesemaker, the process continues: the curds are cut until they are about the size of a sunflower seed, then formed into blocks which are stacked and turned for an hour by hand in a process called cheddaring. This changes the texture from crumbly lumps to smooth slabs. “Not granular,” says Lydia, “more supple and creamy to feel.” That good cheddar is always granular is a common misconception, she explains. “Westcombe and Keen’s are smooth and firm. Montgomery’s is more grainy and crystalline, though, especially as it ages.”
Artisan Somerset cheddar is aged for anything between 11 months and two years on wooden shelves in the aging rooms. Its shape is a key distinguishing feature—the practice of making barrel-shaped wheels of cheese, known as ‘truckles’, declined after World War II, as did the use of unpasteurised milk. The result was an increasingly centralised cheese industry, pumping out vast quantities of inferior, rindless, block-shaped cheddars. That a few Somerset producers are keeping the old ways alive is something for which any cheese lover should be eternally grateful.
|
|
|
Post by lagatta on Feb 27, 2014 16:57:58 GMT
Isn't it a pity how "cheddar" has become a name for the most tasteless kinds of industrial cheese?
|
|
|
Post by onlyMark on Aug 27, 2015 12:17:05 GMT
Yes.
|
|