Elite 11+ shopping and chat thread

gocat

HZA wrote: »

Juju, I'm also about 20 minute drive from Bluewater although hubby insists it's a 15 minute drive!:o



Hello!:wave:

Morning all :wave:

Got DD here from Oz. Staying for 3 weeks :santa2::xmassmile:rudolf:
Cant remember the last time we all spent Christmas together
as a family.
She's one of those people that love to clear out old stuff,
so a major decluttering going on here :T
I helping of course :whistle:

Any meet ups in BW let me know. I'm just a ferry ride to Gravesend and I'm sure can get bus from there to BW.

russetred

Got an email from mr shoes and they have cancelled my free gift but still sending the l'oreal balm which will be returned. Oh well never mind better luck next time.Thanks anyway Bubbs.

Arthien

Morning all! Having a slow morning so far, can't seem to get the energy to do too much. DH is on a work trip and won't be back until late evening so I have plenty of time yet to make it look like I've been busy

I'm planning on making carnation's ultimate and chocolate fudges for my family this Christmas. I've made both before but can't for the life of me remember how far in advance I can do it. I'd rather not leave it all til the last minute as I also plan to do shortbread, some festively decorated fairy cakes, and some cheats sausage rolls. On the other hand, I don't think it'll be at its best if I make it today.

On the plus side, I did Christmas food shop part 1 in lidl yesterday, which will help me avoid some of the madness next week! Now I've just got to hope both DH and I can keep away from all the goodies in the fridge and the cupboard for a week and a half :rotfl:

I also got my gravy stock made in the slow cooker from a turkey leg, streaky bacon and veg (à la Jamie Oliver) so it'll be turkey pasta for the next couple of nights! I always have a gravy nightmare, trying to get it to thicken under pressure when everything else is ready to serve. I'm hoping this way I'll just add some cornflour and bring it to the boil and that should do it, but wondering whether I could even do that bit in advance too and freeze...

MKS

russetred wrote: »

Got an email from mr shoes and they have cancelled my free gift but still sending the l'oreal balm which will be returned. Oh well never mind better luck next time.Thanks anyway Bubbs.

I had the 17 one cancelled but, as yet, not the l'oreal.

Arthien

Just popping back in as I need some advice re. Christmass puddings. My parents insist they usually have a sweet white sauce with it, not brandy or rum sauce, but it doesn't seem to exist in the shops! Has anyone else heard of it? I don't eat puddings containing dried fruit as a general rule so I'm unsure. My dad reckoned it was like a normal white sauce but with added sugar, but he is not known for his cooking skills so I have my doubts...

juju17

Picasso7 wrote: »

Did we know this?! I emailed Amex:

Thank you for writing in. I've checked and confirm that One Stop stores are included in Shop Small promotion. You may visit the below link to find information regarding all participating merchants: https://www.amexshopsmall.co.uk/shop-small-for-shoppers/

I still can't find any on the map though so I have written back to ask if they will credit the £5 if I shop there.

Picasso
If I type One stop shop into the search bar, but leave the location bit blank, it comes up with 1 one stop shop in Romford....I cant find any near me. I would be interested in what they reply to you.

juju17

gocat wrote: »

Any meet ups in BW let me know. I'm just a ferry ride to Gravesend and I'm sure can get bus from there to BW.

It would be good to organise a Kent meet up....if people are up for it?....is anyone interested?

inna

Arthien wrote: »

Just popping back in as I need some advice re. Christmass puddings. My parents insist they usually have a sweet white sauce with it, not brandy or rum sauce, but it doesn't seem to exist in the shops! Has anyone else heard of it? I don't eat puddings containing dried fruit as a general rule so I'm unsure. My dad reckoned it was like a normal white sauce but with added sugar, but he is not known for his cooking skills so I have my doubts...

Is it custard??

Serendipitious

Arthien wrote: »

Just popping back in as I need some advice re. Christmass puddings. My parents insist they usually have a sweet white sauce with it, not brandy or rum sauce, but it doesn't seem to exist in the shops! Has anyone else heard of it? I don't eat puddings containing dried fruit as a general rule so I'm unsure. My dad reckoned it was like a normal white sauce but with added sugar, but he is not known for his cooking skills so I have my doubts...

It is a simple roux sauce.

Basically you melt some butter on a low heat, remove from heat and stir in plain flour until the butter has absorbed all the flour, then you add milk very very slowly so as not to get any lumps, you can return it to the heat at this point, then you stand there stirring with a wooden spoon until it thickens.

At this point you can turn it into anything - eg strong cheese for a cheese sauce.

But for Christmas pudding, you now add some sugar, not too sweet, a little nutmeg, and either rum or brandy.

The key element in all of it is to do it slowly and keep tasting.

Hth.

PS Full fat milk works best, or soya milk.

PPS You can buy Birds Brandy sauce in cartons but it will never be the same as home made.

Snap-ant