Defection

Various novelties last week, starting with an update of my No.1 sweater. I am now on my third or fourth edition. See reference 1. They can be rather dear, but BH takes advantage of their appearing on special from time to time in magazines that she sees.

This was followed up by a pint of Abbott in Wetherspoon's, in the course of my return from a visit to the hospital. In the course of which I noticed that either during the recent refurbishment or perhaps during the one before that, they had deployed quite a lot of sheets of fake bricks, the ones about half an inch thick. Used quite a lot in restaurants wanting a continental flavour, wanting the décor to look artisanal. Greek and Turkish restaurants seem to be particularly fond of the stuff. Including the Turkish owned market café (aka market restaurant) I use for bacon sandwiches in Whitecross Street. And will hopefully be using again when St. Luke's is back up and running. See reference 2.

The following day, we defected from French to Italian sausage for the purposes of taking a sauerkraut. A dish which Simenon must favour, as he gives it to Maigret on a regular basis. It must have been a fairly standard snack in the cafés of his day - rather like chickpeas with pork and tomatoes were when we used to visit the Canaries in the 1990s: another workaday dish of which I was fond.

Cooking note: sausage warmed up on top of the sauerkraut.

Overlooked by little and large on the wall. With little being offered by the Canns Down Press in collaboration  with the Bridgeman Art Library. Tate Britain - who sometimes have the original on the walls - get a mention. See reference 3.

The sauerkraut jar provided a fine new home for the washer collection, which continues to grow. Logged washers left, pending washers right. And I am still working on a definition of washer for these purposes: some of them are definitely pushing at the margins.

The second defection was in the cheese department, where for the first time in some years, I have taken something other than Lincolnshire Poacher (of reference 4) with my bread. To wit, a couple of cheeses from M&S, Tolworth Tower branch. A soft white above.

And some Comté, which survived the shrink wrap experience very well. With the same logo, as I recall, as the more artisanal stuff one buys from Borough Market.

Poking around a bit, the same logo seems to crop up everywhere, so it must be the marque of the appellation, not that of a particular manufacturer, of which there are more than a hundred. See references 5 and 6.

And a goat's cheese to go.

It all made a pleasant change, stimulating the taste buds and all that. But I expect to be back on the straight and narrow from next week.

[If the multi-buy ban helps steer Britons in a healthier direction, that would seem to be a good thing © Tolga Akmen/EPA/Shutterstock]

PS 1: and from the FT, notice of the end of BOGOF as we know it. Another victory chalked up by the nanny state. See reference 7.

[Climate protesters from Extinction Rebellion known as 'Oil Slicks' stage a protest]

PS 2: LSO might have spent a great deal of money refurbishing St. Luke's - not that refurbishment was very obviously necessary - at least not to me - but they don't seem to want to spend money on putting on lunchtime concerts. They have to break even. Which is not unreasonable, but if there is money to spend... And not impressed by the try-hard tactics snapped above.

References

Reference 1: http://michaelrossknitwear.com/.

Reference 2: https://www.lso.co.uk/about-us/lso-st-lukes/. I find this morning that they are up and running, but had not bothered to tell me. To think I have been going to their concerts, booking online so they know all about my email address, for years. Hmmm.  

Reference 3: https://cannsdownpress.co.uk/. Oddly, Nash and his corn field seem to have been culled.

Reference 4: https://lincolnshirepoachercheese.com/.

Reference 5: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comt%C3%A9_cheese.

Reference 6: https://www.thefrenchcomte.co.uk/.

Reference 7: Supermarket BOGOF ban takes the biscuit — and that’s no bad thing: Large retailers in England can no longer offer two-for-one giveaways on foods deemed high in fat, salt or sugar - Opinion Lex, Financial Times - 2025.

Reference 8: https://tolgaakmen.com/. Sample above. Performance art or protest?