Cooking for one (Mark Three)

Brambling

pattypan4 wrote: »

I avoid the A303, would rather take a longer slower route for me to see dd, its a manic fast road, particularly going in the Andover/London direction. A very dangerous road

It was neither fast or dangerous today with long queues in both directions, we spent 20 minutes looking at Stonehenge :cool: we were discussing whether to go home the longer route via Dorset I think the extra miles will save time in the end even with the restrictions on the m27. It took us about 5 hours to get down here not helped by driving past the end of the road and nowhere to turn around.

The cottage overlooks the River Exe, we walked alone a stretch before dinner and caught a flash of a kingfisher . The tea room next door was serving what looked to be amazing cream teas, we decided it would be rude not to try one this week, I'll update you . The owner of the cottage, the next door b&b and tea room is originally from the town next to where I live and he played cricket at our local club, it's a small world

Definitely cooler today especially after last nights heavy thunderstorm and we're told it hasn't been so hot down here I'm looking forward to sleeping better

We skipped lunch other than a comfort break at Lidl and a cinnamon bun, dinner was a healthier tuna salad with new potatoes followed by strawberries, Greek yogurt and coconut mini meringues

caronc

Good morning everyone,

Your holiday location sounds idyllic Brambling:)
Fishy dinner last night was amazing, we feasted like kings for what it would cost for a takeaway and I've frozen some uncooked haddock, swordfish & squid:).
"Surf & turf" tonight as there are langoustine tails to be used up and I'll make a stock from the shells for the freezer. The steaks are defrosting and we'll have them with langoustines cooked in garlic butter, flat mushrooms,veg from the garden & new spuds .

The fishmonger suggested marinating the swordfish in lemon, a little brown sugar and s&p for 30 mins before griddling which we tried and that's one I'll be doing again.
Back to "old clothes & porridge" tomorrow:rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:

PasturesNew

If you're near the River Exe, I went into these once.
https://exeter.gov.uk/leisure-and-culture/our-attractions/underground-passages/

Not very long/exciting, but "different" if you've not been.

At one point there's a "gap in the wall" where you can peek out at the shoes/passing feet of shoppers in the main road.

They have a link there to their PDF leaflet: https://exeter.gov.uk/media/4651/ecc043-underground-passages-leaflet_low-res.pdf

Pubs: I've been to this one too, nice riverside pub on the outskirts of Exeter.

You get to it by going through an industrial estate, then out the back of it and you go over a "wonky bridge/should we really be going this way" - then along the other side of the river into their car park.

http://www.doublelocks.com/ Postcode EX2 6LT

PasturesNew

I didn't want/need anything from L1dl's weekend offers this week, so no need to dash out.

I'd slept badly and been up since 3am in any case, so didn't fancy it.

I had a breakfast of toast/beans/scrambled eggs about 7am.

About 9ish I went out to £land and got sweeties and fizzy pop.
Then I went into 4ldi for eggs - and also bought jelly babies and three cheesecakes and some fizzy pop.

Once home I ate half the bag of jelly babies, promptly fell asleep - and woke up really groggy about noon I now don't fancy the choccies or the cheesecakes, but I'm sure that'll pass.

EDIT: I'm defrosting the 3rd quarter of the pie I bought 2-3 weeks ago, just one more portion after this. I'm currently cooking up the final 3 spuds from the 2.5Kg I bought 4-6 weeks ago. I'll make the mash and pop it in the fridge. Later I'll cook the pie and serve it with mash and either gravy or beans.

EDIT 2: Had pie/mash/beans, followed by a cheesecake.

CRANKY40

CFO yesterday and today....yesterday I had banana on toast for breakfast then HT appeared and asked could we leave running until today....no matter as I was going to work. For lunch I had a half portion of salmon and broccoli crustless quiche that I made myself (Pinch of Nom book) and then for dinner I had spag bol with the bolognese (made by me) being liberated from the freezer.

Today was peanut butter on toast for my breakfast then we both went running. For lunch I had cous cous, fruit and yogurt (fruit and yogurt on it's own doesn't fill me up enough as I have to have lunch at 11am due to work and then I don't get home until 4:30. Dinner was a lamb leg steak from the freezer with a couple of hash browns and some coleslaw.

The HT has cereal most mornings and on my work days I leave him a packed lunch in the fridge. His dinner yesterday was noodles and the somewhat optimistically named "Chicken Griddlers" but they're revolting. He likes them although they don't resemble any kind of chicken that I know of. Tonight he had a pulled pork wrap and french fries. The first six or so Saturday nights that he had a pulled pork wrap I had the same but I don't fancy it any more. It's still one of his favourite meals though so I feed him one portion and freeze three portions for the following three Saturdays.

Have a lovely holiday Brambling

Farway

Back from busy day with the grandchildren down the dockyard, they loved it and plenty more left to do.

Brambling wrote: »

It was neither fast or dangerous today with long queues in both directions, we spent 20 minutes looking at Stonehenge :cool: we were discussing whether to go home the longer route via Dorset I think the extra miles will save time in the end even with the restrictions on the m27.

The tea room next door was serving what looked to be amazing cream teas, we decided it would be rude not to try one this week, I'll update you .

I think the southern Dorset route would be better as well, but no where is good in summer. We queued ages on a village bin day, narrow road, bin lorry doing it's job, one house at a time.:mad:

Oh had a cream tea in the Dockyard today. It was super and just as I'd hoped;) I'm in Cream Tea training for my Plymouth trip in September where I'm determined, weather permitting, to scoff one in the cafe on the Hoe. Preferably in the warm & wasp free sunshine

For lunch is was a ham + cheese baguette, no where near as nice as the CT but what could be?

Dinner, will be the YS Mac cheese RM, just needs pinging later

CRANKY40

Farway wrote: »

I'm in Cream Tea training for my Plymouth trip in September where I'm determined, weather permitting, to scoff one in the cafe on the Hoe. Preferably in the warm & wasp free sunshine

I've sat on the Hoe waiting for the late MrCranky when he was coming back from his time at sea. I love it there but I was slightly taken aback when instead of going for a romantic meal he took me to Cap'n Jaspers (Barbican). Once we had the HT I wasn't free to travel so far and so much so trips to Plymouth stopped. I did have some good times there though.

caronc

Good morning everyone,

I've not long waved my son off and it's back to CFO for me today.

The weather was foul yesterday and although it's dry just now we have thunder storms forecast for later. I'll water the greenhouse & check the veg patch before they arrive.
I've a small piece of steak LO from last night which I'll slice thinly and have for lunch in a roll with tomato and horseradish. Dinner remains undecided, there's LO cooked spuds & veg to use up so they'll feature in some way.

Farway

Woke late after bit of a sleepless night, but nothing planned for today after yesterday's efforts

Porridge breakfast
Sunny day but cooler, decided today was the day to finish of the pear pruning, all done now, looking manageable.

I've 5 Doyenne du Comice pears ripening, plus my plums are turning purple Ooooer Missus:D

One salmon fillet out to defrost for dinner, think another salad is likely
Lunch, more cheese, maybe cheese & onion sarnie?

CRANKY40 wrote: »

I've sat on the Hoe waiting for the late MrCranky when he was coming back from his time at sea. I love it there but I was slightly taken aback when instead of going for a romantic meal he took me to Cap'n Jaspers (Barbican). Once we had the HT I wasn't free to travel so far and so much so trips to Plymouth stopped. I did have some good times there though.

I can understand your reaction to Cap'n Jaspers, seen it and ventured in, but not really my sort of place with so much else to choose from nearby.

I can imagine it being a bit of a let down, as I found the Jamaica Inn to be, but one of those places you have to go to if there

PasturesNew

Weather's funny. Overcast early, sun came out, now it's breezy and overcast.

So far I've finished off the jelly babies, started on the chocolates and had a mini cheesecake. For breakfast it was a crust of bread and 2 scrambled eggs.

I really need a new tub of marg - and I've one crust of bread and one slice left, so need to get something "bready" as I've 1/4 of a cucumber and a hard boiled egg to eat.

Tempted to get the last piece of pie out to defrost; on the other hand, if I get that loaf/marg then I'll have a sandwich later.

Freezer now only contains: 1 crust of bread, ¼ of a pie, 6 sausages, frozen chips. Oh and that s0ddin' soup I've not thrown out yet. SHOULD eat that with a toasted crust, won't though as my dislike of the soup's existence has turned into strong loathing that it has the audacity to still exist.