Cheese (chayse) Oatcakes (owtcayks)

Posted on July 9, 2019July 9, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bacon, Blogging, Cheese, Cooking, Food, grill, Microwave, Oatcakes, Staffordshire, Staffordshire oatcakes, Stoke-on trent, TastyLeave a comment

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Fast, old fashioned food.

The Staffordshire oatcake (words in brackets are my attempt to write it in a Stoke dialect).

Oatcakes in Staffordshire are thin, lace like and tasty. Unrolled they fit on a small dinner plate. They can be eaten with various fillings including savory ones like cheese, cheese and bacon, cheese and sausage (I feel a theme developing). Or you can have them sweet with jam or marmalade which is probably unacceptable to traditionalists. Oatcakes are food or ‘snappin’ to be eaten for breakfast with a strong cup of tea. They are tasty and if you are lucky to have an oatcake shop nearby they are delicious hot from the griddle.

They are an inexpensive meal and can be filled with your own fillings, perhaps chilli con carne or crispy duck? I guess you could even cook them with stewed apple and cream.

I cooked mine in the microwave rolled with grated cheese and added brown sauce. If you grill them you are better heating them flat to make them hot and crispy. Then sprinkle your filling all over like on toast so that the edges don’t burn. They can then be folded in half and finished under the grill. You can eat them with a salad garnish or coleslaw.

You never know you might enjoy them.

Reduced to clear

Posted on June 26, 2019 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Cat Food, Cats, Food, Life, Out of stock, Pets, Petshop, Reduced to clear2 Comments

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So that’s it then, no more cat food for my cats. It took me weeks when they first arrived to get food they liked. They only eat one sort, and only one flavour. So I went to get more today and its reduced to clear. Great I got lots of it, then asked at the till what does it mean? Oh we are no longer stocking it…. Bombshell, they are the only store I know that stocks it!

I asked if they would reconsider and was told it would be a buyer way above their pay grade that decided. But I said my cats will starve to death! ( You don’t know how fussy they are). Well you can buy on line. No I don’t buy anything online, how do I know it’s safe to do so?

Turns out the store might order it in for me and as long as I order over £30 they will get it for me……

I’m going to go to our local, small, petshop and see if they can help.

I think the big chain store, pet shop, has just lost a customer.

🤔

Through the window

Posted on May 1, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Atmosphere, Blogging, Cafe, Environment, Fenton, Food, Life, Lunch, Stained glass, Stoke-on trent, Taste, Window2 Comments

Sitting in the Barnicle cafe, Fenton town hall, Stoke-on-Trent. I looked up and saw the ornamental cherry tree through the window and the stained glass above. The lights were on inside the cafe because the clouds were dark and low, but it was a pleasant place to have a lunch break. Cheese oatcakes and fruit loaf toast were our delicious meal. Sometimes a simple recipe can be as effective in sating your hunger as a complicated and over fancy meal. The friendly atmosphere and warm welcome made it even more pleasant.

Mango juice

Posted on April 24, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Challenge, Drawing, Drink, Food, Life, Mango, Mango juice, North West, Sketch, Sketchfu, SouthLeave a comment

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Another challenge drawing from about 10 years ago. I think this was Mango juice over ice looking at the colour of the liquid. I never tasted Mango juice until my thirties I think. And a real Mango? Probably in my forties. They were just not sold in local shops. Its the same with figs, I never realised how delicious they are. The world has changed in my lifetime. Probably better for the majority of the North and West of the World. Not so much the southern continents. I wish life was fairer where everyone could taste Mango juice.

Buddha

Posted on April 20, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Buddha, Enjoyment, Food, Life, Possible painting, Sawadee Thai taste, Staffordshire, Stoke-on trent, Thai2 Comments

Having a good meal at the local Thai restaurant in Stoke. Sawadee Thai taste. I noticed how the Buddha there was beautifully decorated. Such a warm friendly atmosphere. I like the coloured garlands round his neck and the shiny baubles balanced on his knees. Buddhas seem to look so relaxed, calm, kind.

The food was lovely. The owner always cooks tasty meals, we really enjoyed it. This hadn’t meant to be a restaurant review..

The Buddha might get his portrait painted!!

Pancakes

Posted on April 3, 2019April 3, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Food, Fun, Humour, Pancakes, Pimpin' pancakes, Poem, Poetry, TastyLeave a comment

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We found this company who cater for parties and events. They catered for my partners birthday a couple of years ago. Came up on Facebook memories. I decided to write this poem x

Found this photo

Two years old

Pimpin pancakes

Hot or cold

Super tasty

Fruit or veg

Making batter

With an edge.

Bananas, apples

Whatever you like

Add some syrup

And a flake.

Nice to eat

Good to taste

Can’t be beat

There’s no waste!

Seamus two years ago

Posted on March 19, 2019 Posted in Cat, UncategorizedTagged Cat, Food, Fun, Happy cat, Life, Love, Poem, Poetry, Shy catLeave a comment

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What a change two years make. Seamus was quite a timid cat. It took me ages to coax him out to say hello and I think you can still see caution on his face here – a couple of months after he arrived. He’s much more self assured now. He loves playing catch chase with his sister. Instead of sleeping in quiet corners or under cupboards both of them now sleep on a cat tree or on the back of the sofa in the middle of the living room.

They both will only eat one flavour of one type of cat food, but it is supplimented with treats and they know how to stare so you share food off your plate.

Cat stares

It knows what it wants

It hypnotises you

To share your breakfast

Lunch

Tea

Dinner

Supper..

How do they do it?

With love and telepathy… !

Illness

Posted on March 10, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Blogging, Drawing, Food, Hospital, Ill, Life, Reflections, Sketching4 Comments

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Two years ago I ended up in hospital and had to go on intravenous antibiotics. I was so miserable I decided to get my partner to bring a sketch book in so I could at least draw the view.

The room I was in was on one of the top floors, so unless I got close to the window all I could see was a few rooftops then sky. I took a few photos of the drawings on my phone while I was there for a few days.

My most miserable memory was the food. Tasteless stuff, pap, soft with no flavour. How patients are supposed to get better when the food is so awful … I think it must have cost pence to make. I remember enjoying the sandwiches, they were the only tasty thing in there.

Apart from that everyone was good and kind. But I was pleased to escape. Unfortunately when the ambulance took me home there was no one there to let me in! Luckily my partner turned up so I managed to avoid being carted back to the hospital! Happily we don’t normally have to pay for treatment in this country. Long may it remain so.

Welcome

Posted on March 3, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Chilli, Chilly, Evening out, Food, Rest, Sawadee Thai taste, Tired1 Comment

This is what greeted us when we arrived at the Thai restaurant tonight. I’d decided to have a meal out after getting wet and chilly this afternoon.

The cats were a friendly gesture because we visit frequently and the owner knows I have cats.

Now I’m home and I’m going to put my feet up. There is nothing wrong with having a rest occasionaly.

Time for coffee I think.

Eating fish fingers after a walk in the rain

Posted on March 3, 2019 Posted in UncategorizedTagged Bread and butter, Comfort food, Fish fingers, Food, Leaflet, Rain, Storm, Walking, Wet, WindLeave a comment

We are just back from delivering leaflets house to house in the rain. Storm Freya is due to arrive in the next couple of hours. I was going to deliver them earlier in the week but I’m still not well.

What could be more comforting than fish finger sandwiches with a steaming cup of (decaff) coffee.

We didn’t quite finish the route and came home soaking wet. There is nothing much worse than rain getting through the seams of your coat, cold water trickling down your neck and the rain running off a waterproof coat and down onto your trouser legs. Add wet socks from crossing big puddles, wet hair and raindrops on your glasses and you get a picture of how I felt half an hour ago.

The fish finger sandwiches, with brown bread and butter and mayonnaise were very tasty. If I had taken more time I would have added sliced lemon and a few salad leaves but I just wanted something warm and tasty and quick.

Meanwhile the wind is gusting, the rain is hitting the windows. I can hear the wind blowing through a gap round the window and moaning slightly. It’s two hours before sunset but the world very dark and overcast. I might just have a nap.

Mallaband-Brown

Tag: Food