F1, Queueing for our Allotment, Pizza and Onion Rings

Stuck this afternoon in a massive queue on the way to our allotment - it is near Deepdale and PNE are at home today - I was listening to 5-Live and it struck me that not only was I in traffic, but I was listening to commentary about traffic, albeit in Dubai. Is there a duller and more over-hyped sport than F1? Rallying I can understand - countryside, mud, real roads, getting within inches of the cars - but Grand Prix? No. How is it interesting that one helmet in a very fast car goes round in circles more rapidly than another helmet in a slower car?


Two little victories in my culinary life. Thursday night I made three pizzas (pizzi?) from scratch, even thinner than previous effort as I used the same quantity of dough for three rather than two, the result being nicely crisp crust. Very hot oven, done in 15 minutes. Unlikely though it sounds the sardine, anchovy and prawn one (all were with onions and peppers) was praised by wife and son, and the meat feast (mini-meatballs made with leftover roast beef from Sunday) not far off. With two mozarellas, sardine tin, anchovy tin, and a few slices of salami I reckon £3.75 for the lot, the price of one from a shop or half from a takeaway.

Even smaller win: to go with steak on Friday I made my own onion rings - Greek-style batter recipe courtesy of the great Jane Grigson, with a bit of cayenne in place or her pernod. Crisp again, no processed rubbish in them, not a crumb left. Egg from our chickens, bit of flour, baking powder, water, some cheap olive oil, two onions, so pence against pounds from the freezer section of some supermarket. A sneaky extra vegetable, and the pleasure of crunching sounds at the table.

Firework Weekend

November 5th being special to us we had a gathering of friends various on Saturday, fed and watered about 16 people by my reckoning. As ever, too much food: massive lamb stew that everyone seemed to have two platefuls of, but still left enough for three ice-cream containers-full to be frozen. Good use for Turk's Turban squash to accompany it, loads of starch and wonderful orange flesh to brighten up the lamb hotpot. Fabulous fireworks, the rule being bring one large one per family.

The weekend was the rocket, Monday the stick - sadly the Information Britain site that has been my biggest source of income for last five years has been sliding down the rankings for no good reason in fact the opposite, it does what it suggests with vast amounts of easily navigable stuff about Britain. Sad, I have never enjoyed a job more, and never worked with anyone as easy to get along with as Nick Crawford-Barton, the owner. Anyone need a brilliant writer with a dozen ideas for books and about 3000 for articles? Food, wine, spirits, boats, all the good things in life.