How's your day?

[Beekay 3,085]

Eh LL., can you get delivery slots for liberty bodies and shirts?

[loppylugs 8,201]

Probably BK.  There's only our Ben buying 'em.  

[benjamin1945 14,147]

Would still wear em Loppy, if i could get hold of em,,,feel the cold in me old bones nowadays,,,think they'd go well with a 'Neckerchief' and 'long Johns'....

[MargieH 6,773]

The Sainsbury's in Ely doesn't do its available slots for the following week until a certain day - it was Thursday this last week.  I just happened to be on their site to look for a slot and saw that they were all on there so I grabbed one for delivery tomorrow at only £1.  I ended up spending over £100 so delivery will now be free.  Quite pleased with myself.   I expect there'll be some substitutions as there were several last time I ordered but I don't care.  If the items they substitute are more expensive than what I'd ordered, they issue a credit note for the next shop you do.  I suppose it's a way to keep you shopping with them, but at the moment, I'll go along with that.... I'm usually a Tesco or Aldi person but in these times, you get what you can, when you can!

[Beekay 3,085]

Do you mean to say, you don't shop at Waitrose Margie? 

[nonnaB 4,240]

We get veg and fruit delivered from a small local shop, cheese from a market stall holder who lives nearby, meat from my daughters supplier who's in another nearby village and pizzas from either the village or the next village. Now there's a new Gelateria opened up in the midst of this virus only for home delivery though. They make their ice cream themselves so may try it when the weather gets better. It's been raining today and it's cold.

[PeverilPeril 2,829]

A 16" fish kettle was delivered today. Bought from a charity ebayer. I've been using a standard 24" one but it is too big for average sized trout. Will try it out tomorrow. Looking for ideas about making sauce to go with trout - Nonna?

My mate's hen eggs started to hatch out today - 6 chicks reserved for me. It will be 5 or 6 weeks before putting them in to the nice new coop that I'm building. Spent the day making cold frames from old greenhouse glass and odds and end of wood that was kicking about. Quite enjoying lock down. 

[MargieH 6,773]

@BeekayNo I don't shop at Waitrose.  I've been in there for the odd item if I'm passing but it's far too expensive for regular shopping.  At least, that's my opinion.   I did do an online shop with Ocado a few years back, just to try it out, but lots of their stuff is  from Waitrose.  I much prefer he cheaper supermarkets, and Aldi fruit and veg is often fresher than Tesco.

 

@PeverilPeril  Are you going to run a cockerel with your hens?  

[Beekay 3,085]

Margie, I  tried today to register with Sainsburys,  but cannot get past putting in my email. It just keeps coming up with, 'sorry but we are giving priority to the vulnerable and elderly. I'm 77 for heavens sake! But I can't  get any further. Tried the helpline but it just takes me back to entering my email and Voila!  back to sorry etc.

[MargieH 6,773]

BK. I don't know what to suggest about registering with Sainsbury's.  Perhaps if you apply for a Nectar card (their loyalty card) they will have access to your date of birth and will realise you are in the elderly category?

[DAVIDW 1,502]

6 hours ago, mary1947 said:

Like everyone else i have tried to get a dilivery slot with all the big/small stores. Went on computer the other day and was amazed that Iceland had slots.

We've had a couple of Iceland deliveries and I find their site the easiest to use . When you get the slot its usually next day .

When we received the last delivery , I was chatting to the driver (at a distance)  asking how many vans they had . "Just the one"  he said, " but next week (today) we are increasing the number of slots from 56 to 85 per day  .....we're taking on more drivers".  The van looked a bit decrepit anyway so how long it will last doing all those deliveries per day , not sure !  

 

Having said  that , managed to bag an ASDA delivery slot for the first time last night but its not till May 2nd and costs £4 . I just stuck anything down on the order and will make alterations the day before .

 

P.S . Mary , I expect you have seen that ALDI are now delivering a pre-set assortment  of everyday groceries for £24.99 inc delivery , though they only seem to have limited numbers per day .

https://www.aldi.co.uk/food-parcels

[LizzieM 8,802]

Until we moved to Nottingham (nearly 16 years ago and can’t believe it) I would only shop in Waitrose as the only other supermarket in Berkhamsted was Tesco and there was a definite difference in clientele in there, not that I was a snob or anything ........

Coming to Nottingham was a culture shock in many ways, not least that the nearest Waitrose was in  Newark, a round trip of 40 odd miles, and I wasn’t going to do that.  Oddly enough I never set foot in the Wollaton store whilst it was there.  For years now I’ve used Sainsburys but having got over the embarrassment of being seen in Lidl’s I quite like the convenience of it being just walking distance and am amazed when I get to the till and a full basket is usually less than £20, I often buy my husband a little present from the middle aisle, a pack of mini super-glues or a chainsaw!  
I tried Aldi on Woodborough Road last week and have discovered some excellent Rose wine at £4 a bottle, going back to buy a crate of it this week!  
As for on-line food shopping, I’ve still not achieved that, I will just keep nipping out and keeping 2m from everyone else, I really hate queuing outside shops though.  

[DJ360 5,668]

Morrison's have been doing something similar for a while.  Somewhere here I described what came in their £35 'basics' parcel.  Ours had meat such as mince, chicken, ham, sausages and bacon, but they also do 'meat free' versions.

 

23 minutes ago, DAVIDW said:

 

Having said  that , managed to bag an ASDA delivery slot for the first time last night but its not till May 2nd and costs £4 . I just stuck anything down on the order and will make alterations the day before .

 

David, please make sure you read the small print re: altering/editing your order.  Easy to leave it too late.

 

 

[DJ360 5,668]

Meanwhile.. Mrs Col has not stopped going on about bloody Broccoli for days.  It was mushrooms before that.  I like both.. very much. but I can manage without them for a few days or even weeks.  My view is that so long as I can get some sort of fresh fruit and veg.. I'll avoid malnutrition for a couple of months...

 

Thing is I'm really not happy about either of us venturing into shops at present.  Maybe when admissions to hospital and cases in general start to fall significantly... but not yet.

 

But then today as I set out on my walk, I encountered a lady from the bottom of the street.  It transpired she was going to the shops and I told her Mrs Col was threatening to do the same.. in search of Broccoli.  She immediately offered to get some if it was available and leave it on our doorstep.

 

I told her I didn't want anybody taking risks on my behalf.. but she insisted she was going in the shop anyway and when I got home from a 40 minute 'power walk', dodging the hordes of 'definitely not local residents'.. the Broccoli was on the doorstep.  I think she may find a nice bottle of wine on hers soon.  She's also the one who's organised our street's Whatsapp Group.

 

So.. tonight, I knocked up Stir Fried Pork with Broccoli and Five Spice..  as you do...

 

There was no comment about the Broccoli................. or the Mushrooms.. or my superb Egg Fried Rice......

 

But it seems there was too much onion.....

[Oztalgian 2,382]

14 hours ago, Jill Sparrow said:

I went off those doors a bit, aged 11 to 17, due to the Coop school uniform department being directly behind them!

I remember that too! Mum used to use the divi to buy our school uniforms.

[Brew 4,357]

Tut tut, too much onion in the Pork and Broccoli five spice.... sigh some people just never learn....should be ashamed o yersen...

[mary1947 1,518]

Dilivery slots ! well folks i will still keep trying, but i have 2 daughter in laws who work for the NHS and they will do all my shopping for me, but i do feel guilty with them working full time, then comming home to teenage sons and husband's, but they don't seem to mind. 

If any member lives Jacksdale way we have a very, very good butcher he sell veg as well as good quality meat, he takes orders phone/facebook and he will deliver not sure how far though. If anybody wants to check him out its Paul & Shelia Shipley Main st Jacksdale. 

This is life Jim but not as we know it. (to quote a phase)

[jonab 1,642]

PP - regarding trout. I think it'would be a mistake to serve such a fine fish with anything resembling Haute cuisine française (or italienne).

 

You obviously know how to cook it so, with such a nice fish serve it very simply with, say, dill butter (chopped fresh dill leaves mixed with butter) lemon juice, plain boiled new potatoes and a green salad.

 

At leBsL we cook trout by bringing the water to the boil, adding a few drops of vinegar then the trout bring back to the boil and immediately turn off the heat. The fish cooks in the residual heat of the water and when cool will be perfectly cooked.

[philmayfield 4,451]

I heartily agree. Fine foods don't require tarting up or fancifying. On the rare occasions we have lobster (usually bought fresh on the quayside when on holiday) it's best served with a simple salad and new potatoes and not made into a fancy thermidor dish. Good food has it's own intrinsic flavour which can best be appreciated by simplicity of cooking. I believe lots of sauces and spice dishes originally evolved from disguising meat which had gone over the top!

 

 

[Beekay 3,085]

11 hours ago, MargieH said:

BK. I don't know what to suggest about registering with Sainsbury's.  Perhaps if you apply for a Nectar card (their loyalty card) they will have access to your date of birth and will realise you are in the elderly category?

I've had a Nectar card for ages and ages. If only I could get past first page (email) then I could explain. It just like hitting a brick wall.

[MargieH 6,773]

BK Could you phone them to explain?

[nonnaB 4,240]

PP I read your post late last night and intended to reply this morning but I've been busy and have just sat down to watch news. 

I agree with Jonab and was going to say so. Don't spoil the trout with anything heavy. I was going to suggest melted butter with a few wild fennel fronds ( similar to,dill). What could be nicer than a freshly caught trout. You know how you caught it and you know where it's been. Not in a nasty sense I might add but it's not been over handled in the shops or markets. Enjoy it. 

Just remembered what you could do with the trout. Cook them under salt. Place trout on top of greaseproof paper and cover LIBERALLY WITH COARSE SALT LEAVING NO GAPS. Cook in oven until salt is quite hard.The trout will have a delicate taste of salt. Remove all the salt from the trout and serve.

We cook chicken in the same manner. Doing it this way the fat is absorbed and thrown away with the salt. 

Try it , don't be put off by the method it does work . If in doubt do a research on internet.

[nonnaB 4,240]

Lizzie about Lidl. I quite like it but it's a bit far to shop regularly so it's only occasionally I go. When I was doing my physiotherapy I had to pass right in front of it. One day I popped in to get something and came out with loads of things that we can't find in supermarkets here. I got the taste for some breads, one especially called scocchi. It was shaped like a croissant but made of layers of bread. I got 4 to try and after that I started to get a few more each day I passed. I went in after I had finished physio but then realized that there was little left at that time 1.15pm so I started going in before physio so I had more choice. I started to buy 10-20 each day and I froze them knowing that the physio would stop and I wouldn't be able to go again for a while.

They probably have the same promotions as they do here e.g. British week, Greek week etc. At one time they only sold cheaper brands but now they stock superior brands. The fruit and veg are always fresher than the better supermarkets. 

At the moment I'm making some Monkey bread. I prepare the dough last night and it's ready in the tin to bake. My freezer is getting quite fat stocking all these biscuits and cakes I'm making . We can't eat them all. So they are divided , shared and stored in freezer.

What else do you do in lockdown and it's raining?

[Beekay 3,085]

Talking of trout, do you  have to descale it when preparing, as well as gutting? I've only ever see it as fillets, apart when in Morrillion, France, when the chef did trout with potato gratin with "Le Thom cheese.

[DJ360 5,668]

23 hours ago, Oztalgian said:

I remember that too! Mum used to use the divi to buy our school uniforms.

 

I simply couldn't comment on the Co-op school uniforms for other than High Pavement..

 

But....  the HP jacket from the approved retailer.. (Was it D&P?).. retained its rich deep brown colour.  Sadly the Co-op version rapidly deteriorated to a lighter.. almost rusty colour.  I always felt a bit sorry for the lads who wore the Co-op version.

 

And yes.. I'm a great fan of co-operatives in general.