This by way of the second and last celebration of the snagging of the 500th trolley, with the first celebration at the BH having been noticed at reference 4. With the first trolley having been snagged back in the mists of time of 2014, with some of the story to be found at reference 5. No less than eight years ago. Will I make the millennium?
Turned up to collect my aged fore rib on the Saturday, to find that most of the bone had been removed. The butcher claimed that it had already been removed when I had reserved it a few days previously, but I am not so sure. Maybe he just forget that I told him to leave the bones in. From where I associated to gardener stories where the gardener appears to listen to what you are asking him to do, then does what he wants to do anyway. Ignorant customers. What do they know about gardens? Clearly independent types who do not care to be told, even when you are paying them. Independent types who skipped the lectures about the customer always being right.
Weighed in at 7lbs 3oz and I was getting a bit uneasy about all the drying out and cracking. Also, that we once had some beef from Sainsbury's which was described as well hung, or hung for at least 10 days, or something, and we were not that happy with it at all. Decided then and there that we liked our beef fresh. From where I associated to the gamekeeper stories where the pheasants were hung until they fall off the hook.
Anyway, rubbed in plenty of rape seed oil and tied it up. Starting to feel a bit better about it.
Searched the archive, and the best precedent looked to be that at reference 1. Properly boned, but otherwise looked a suitable starting point at 6lbs 9oz. In the oven at 11:30 at 190°C. 105 minutes cooking, 15 minutes resting. Resting in the turned off oven. 13:30 forks down. We decided to go for an 11:15 start at the same temperature, aiming again for forks down at 13:30.
Nearly had a senior moment with the oven, turning on the top oven to pre-heat rather than the bottom oven. Fortunately, the brain sensed error, perhaps the wrong lights were coming on, and I realised what I had done, in time not to delay things. I don't think I would have put the meat into a cold oven, but I might have lost quarter of an hour, a serious matter in our busy, action-packed schedule.
Then off to town to investigate the supply of greens, proper chewy greens. To find plenty of people in the market, but no greengrocer, down from the two that are usually there. On the other hand, the man selling meat out of the side of a lorry had bought himself a flashy new red lorry, seemingly custom built for the purpose. So he must be doing alright, even if the greengrocers were not doing so well.
No greens to be had from Waitrose. No greens to be had from M&S, although I could have had some African runner bean like beans. Settled for Brussels sprouts in a packet.
And then I couldn't drive the self checkout machine. One of the two attendants knew no better. Luckily a young lady came to my rescue at this point and I found the remote scales and printed myself a sticky ticket. I am fairly sure that at Waitrose the scales are built into the self checkout machines and you can do everything on the spot; hence the confusion.
Back home again, inspected the meat at 12:40 and it skewered fairly clean. Added the roots at this point. Then at 13:20 plated it all up and put it back into the oven to rest.
Warmed up the left over lentils and had them as an appetiser. Probably left over from the second edition of the lentils noticed at reference 2. Quite suitable as it turned out: savoury but not too much of it.
Started on the main business at 13:40. For a change, taken with a new-to-us red from a vigneron we had already had white from, via the offie at Guildford to be found at reference 3.
It seemed a little extravagant to blend 30 sorts of grape to make the stuff - makes one think of sweeping up all the left overs into one last vat - but it also seemed like a bit of fun, and in the event we rather liked it. Les Cailloux du Paradis, 'Les Racines' rouge.
Towards the end of the first shift. With the token of trolley appreciation from the people at Waitrose behind.
A different view. Surprising how different the colour is from a different angle.
A spot of dessert. Including a spot of Swiss from M&S back left. I rather liked the way you got three of each of the six kinds - or something of that sort. Which made it easy to have another if you particularly liked one of them.
Followed by a spot of relaxation, nominally prep for the day following. When, as it turned out, the crusty bits of the beef were passed off, very successfully, as pork crackling.
The beef did four or five days altogether, so not as dear as it might have at first seemed. All bar day one cold, with no mincing down to cottage pie. With a bit of sandwich material after that. Altogether, very successful. Opinion concerning old beef revised in favour, but I still prefer my beef with backbone.
PS 1: I must have walked some bricks later and I am now wondering whether the compost bin will hold out to next spring, the traditional time for emptying. Note new fence behind, lots of people in suburban Surrey being very keen on their privacy. Even down the bottom of their gardens, perhaps visited two or three times a month. To be fair, these fences probably help to slow down the foxes - for which I have still not got around to a ball bearing shooting catapult.
PS 2: a fox hugger had set up his stall in the market place the other day. But I did not bother to challenge him: no talent for that sort of thing, for getting people to change their minds about that sort of thing.
References
Reference 1: https://psmv4.blogspot.com/2020/05/a-tale-of-two-ribs.html.
Reference 2: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/04/kosova-suxhuk.html.
Reference 3: http://www.lescaves.co.uk/lescaves-welcome.
Reference 4: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/04/all-fools-day.html.
Reference 5: https://psmv5.blogspot.com/2022/02/trolley-468.html.
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