The Prepping Thread - A Newer Beginning ;)

DigForVictory

Wonderful garment! Were I to have one tailored, I might spec a distinct fullness so that small children can use me as an ambulatory den, or snaffle it in summer months to make a spacious hide.
Surely you being in possession of such a garment can only bring clement weather, and your name blessed across the lands?!

Pyxis

MrsLurcherwalker wrote: »

Morning all, it's cold and dreary and wet again today and I'm going to go into town on a hunt for a long waterproof coat, I only have waterproof jackets and am getting fed up with wet jeans and cold knees. I'll walk myself down to the retain outlets in the hope of picking up something totally unfashionable but functional for a reasonable amount in the remnants of the sales.

A bit late now, but I bought a long waterproof coat from Cotton Traders some years ago.

It's very long, so no more wet knees, and has a storm cape over the shoulders, and a hood with a drawstring, two normal pockets, and an inside breast pocket.
It's completely waterproof. I can vouch for that.

I still have it, and it's much better than trying to struggle with an umbrella.

As far as I know, they are still selling it.




Edit... just had a look, and yes, they are still selling it, albeit in different colours from when I bought mine.
And it now has three inner pockets, one of which is zipped!
I might get another one!

https://www.cottontraders.com/unisex/coats-and-jackets/windermere-waterproof-50andquot%3B-coat/AD11610.html?cgid=unisex-coats-jackets#cgid=unisex-coats-jackets&start=15&list=product+list&p=14

[Deleted User]

Thanks Pyxis, that's exactly what I'm looking for it's a Stockmans Coat and has the shoulder cape, a good deep hood with a drawstring tightener and a vent in the back with a button closure. I had one when we had dear old Docky dog to walk come what may weather wise but lost quite a lot of weight after we lost him and sold it at a boot fair prior to our move here last summer. The weather here in Gloucestershire is definitely wetter than it was down south and I wish I'd kept it! hindsight is no use at all is it?

My name most definitely is currently NOT blessed across the lands M'dear just the opposite it would appear, I love the idea of being an ambulatory den though those Grandpickles would love that, just like the mother mouse and her babies in The Nutcracker ballet we enjoy at Christmas. I'll post when I get the coat and we'll see what it does to the summer.....I hope it's not a monsoon! xxx.

[Deleted User]

My food stores have received a decided boost today, or they will when it arrives, I went into the local wholefoods shop last week to see if they had 'Essential Organics Spicy Dahl Mix' which is the handiest, easiest and tastiest almost instant food I know of. It's a red lentil onion and spice mix and 1 cup of that mixed with 3 cups of water and brought to the boil and simmered for 20 minutes gives a very tasty meal when served with rice, naan breads/chapatis and even mashed potato or chips. They didn't but the lady serving said she'd contact the wholesaler and see if she could track some down for me. This morning when I went back in she'd found she could order me in a pack of six for £2 a go, so £12 gets us the basis of many tasty meals. A little more than 3 cups of water makes a good soup, the dahl itself is lovely plain but you can dress it up with any veg, meat, root veg to ring the changes and it is well worth having in store for an easy option that keeps for a very long time. Yummy stuff, lucky us!

DigForVictory

Forgive me for being persnicketty but is that the Greencity's Organic Red Lentil Dhal Mix that changed hands to( another workers cooperative) Essential Trading so you can now get Essential Spicy Dhal Mix 500g from Marshfords or Essential Spicy Dhal Mix Organic from Natural Grocery, if you go online.

It sounds a brilliant solution to feeding teenage boys without endless noodles, but I wouldn't want to venture into this new culinary alley without guidance!

DryTheRain

I had a look for it too, but availability seems quite limited online, unless you live near Bath or don't mind a £35 minimum order. I couldn't find anything similar either, other than Prep Co's lentil pots, currently £1.50 on offer at Sainsburys, but obviously far more expensive per serving.

I notice naturalcollection.com stock the Essentials range, so it might be worth emailing to ask if they could add it to their store. I'd volunteer myself but am struggling with an appeal deadline for Friday, alas no begging for extensions there!

[Deleted User]

Don't know it other than from Essential Organics D for V as I found it in a scoop shop in Bristol when I was visiting my daughter, it's a vegan scoop shop called Scoopaway down on the Gloucester Road and I don't know if they do online orders. I've ordered mine in from Wye Valley Wholefoods, the local branch reckon if they haven't got it they might be able to get it and will always try if I go in and ask for a specific. If you have a wholefood shop anywhere accessible close to you it would be worth asking as at £2 a pack it's good value and a measuring cup of the mix makes into at least 3 decent adult portions just on its own, if you add things in it serves 4, good stuff it is too!

DigForVictory

My affection & respect for Bristol takes another nudge upwards. Having relatives there, I shall try a suitability unsubtle hint first. It may be they are already raising their not yet teens on it (a daughter & 2 boys, miword) as at least two are vegan & the others intermittently...

Pyxis

One of my favourite ready meals before I became vegetarian was Sainsbury's Prawn Makhani and Rice.
The makhani sauce is delicious.

Other ready-made Makhani sauces weren't anything like it..
However, rather than give it up, I thought I'd try and recreate the sauce.
So I compared the list of ingredients on the pack with a couple of online recipes for makhani sauce, bought a whole load of spices, and got experimenting.
Neither recipe was the same as the other, and the Sainsbury's version was a bit different again.
:rotfl:
The first two recipes I tried still weren't right, so I started tweaking the ingredients, and at the fourth attempt, I think I got it right, or as close as I could, anyhow!


So, all that leads me to a question.
There are so many spices, that it takes a time measuring them all out. I have cooked a double batch of sauce and frozen it (you can freeze it before you add the cream or yogurt/cream), but it's still quite time-consuming compared with opening the Sainsbury's ready meal, so I was wondering, if I were to mix the spices, could I freeze the mix, or would it impair the flavour?

The mix would be a dry mix, as the spices are either ground, or chopped.
It would save so much time, but there wouldn't be any point if the flavour would be impaired.

What do you think?

DryTheRain

Mmm good food for thought.. local wholefood place doesn't stock Essential stuff, but they do make their own soup mixes in-house, I wonder if they could be persuaded to do a dhal mix? I could probably make something similar, but sometimes it's nice just to chuck something quick and easy into a pan without thinking too much about it.