Product Test

Kimbo had mentioned that he'd bought some frozen Lamb Shanks from Lidl (I think), and that they'd been delicious.

Then, I just happened to notice that they had some in Sainsbury's; so I invested.

Inside the pack were two separate, frozen, vacuum packed, Lamb Shanks in a deep rich gravy.

They needed about 45 mins in the oven, so in went some spuds to roast, then 15 mins later in went the emptied packs of lamb; making sure to keep all the sauce. When the hour was up; they were all perfectly cooked.

We were both very pleasantly surprised. In fact I shall visit Lidl this week to see if they have some; if not I'll buy them again from Sainsbury's. A pack of these in the freezer is an excellent back-up; as it was for me on Easter Day.

The finished dish was impressive looking, very tender and tasty, and no work! If I had one tiny criticism, it would be that the sauce had a slightly artificial mint flavour; but nothing to worry about.

Verdict: 9/10 I shall now keep a pack of these in the freezer at all times.

 

Alaska: Homestead Rescue.

 

Here in the UK there are some minor TV channels that probably have only ONE VIEWER. One such is DMAX; and I think the only viewer is ME!

Some while ago I discovered a programme called 'Alaska: Homestead Rescue'. It's vaguely similar to the UK's DIY SOS, but instead of ordinary householders in need of help, the ones requiring assistance are failing US 'Homesteaders' whose ramshackle woodland cabins are usually no more than falling-down garden sheds, and their 'Homesteads' are more like Junkyards than Farmyards. So, along comes a trio of 'caped-crusaders', who, just like in DIY SOS, promise to make things better in just 7 days.

It has to be said that the majority of 'Homesteaders' around the world, are well organised and successful. But this programme searches-out the most hapless amongst them, for the sake of making 'interesting' viewing.  

I've only seen a few of these programmes, but the lives and lifestyles of these particular featured Homesteaders is rudimentary to say the least. They tend to live off almost nothing, have a few hens, and scatter their collection of scruffy junk and belongings over a wide area. No effort is ever made to create an enclosed Farmyard, where all their barns, animals, and growing areas are protected from the wildlife that lives around them. The very idea of 'Landscaping' seems totally alien to them. When you live in an area that is full of Bears, Cayotes, Wolves, Poisonous Snakes, etc, the first thing anyone would usually do is to create a safe enclosure for themselves, their crops, and their animals. But no......

In many ways I do approve of these people's choice of lifestyle, but NOT of how they go about it. It costs nothing to be tidy, or make your exterior environment as attractive as possible. It might cost a bit to bring-in water, or solar power, or fix the roof, but to live amongst a mess is not the route to a decent standard of living. So they write to Mr Fix-It (Marty Raney, his daughter Misty, and son Matt, above) and they come to help; and, of course, to make a TV programme about themselves.

Frankly, by the time they leave, these Homesteads don't look very different to how they were the week before. They may have a new precarious source of water, a veg' patch, and a few solar panels, but life rarely seems to improve for the residents. In fact the whole TV programme is more of a back-slapping exercise for the Raney family themselves, than for improving the lives of these Homesteaders.

In DIY SOS, the families end-up, after a week, with a completely new, fully-fitted, re-designed, luxury home; but, of course, they do have about 100 volunteer workers.  I think Mr Raney should take a look at a few of their episodes!

A bunch of old hippies with big beards, and a desire to live off the land, is de rigueur in this TV programme. If that 'Lights your Fire' then AHR could be for you! I must say; there's something really nice about seeing people happy to live in tumble-down shacks, even though they're desperate for some running water and a useable loo.

Does 'Homestead' always have to mean 'Ramshackle'?..... I don't see why it should!

Verdict: 3/10 Good for a rainy (Raney?) afternoon siesta.

Cheap white sliced bread

I know what you're thinking; what on earth is Cro doing, buying cheap white sliced bread?

The answer is simple. I've had a jar of Foie Gras sitting at the back of the fridge since before Christmas, and it's time had come. We ate it as an entrée on Good Friday, accompanied by lightly toasted 'white'. 

Toast made with sliced white bread is perfect with Foie Gras, as it doesn't detract from the subtle flavour.

I can't remember the last time I bought cheap white sliced bread, it must have been decades ago.

I had totally forgotten what this stuff tasted like. Here in the UK I'm used to buying seeded wholemeal bread; which actually has a pleasant taste. This white bread has no taste whatsoever. I have never eaten thin sheets of polystyrene, but I imagine this is what it would taste like.

Having said all that, it is perfect with Foie Gras, or Paté, or even topped with St Agur.

I now have 75% of the loaf left-over, so I shall have to find ways of using it. I shall have some toasted with Marmalade, and even some more with a fried egg. I think to eat it for Breakfast would be more suited than at any other time.

I can't see myself finishing it, so the Seagulls will benefit in a few days time.

Would I buy it again? No!

Verdict: 2/10, Awful; but it has its moments!

 

Easter 2026

 

Easter doesn't mean a lot to me, but these FOUR things ARE essential.

1. At our nearby church they always have a Palm Sunday Procession through the churchyard. They sing 'Hosanna', wave Palm fronds, and parade with a couple of Donkeys. It's a lot of nonsense, but it's a tradition right on my very doorstep, so I always attend. The photo above is from last Sunday March 29th; the two Donkeys are sadly just out of shot to the right. 

The procession consisted of the two Donkeys with VERY scruffy 'stable-lad' handlers, four girls dressed in white, and an unknown Bishop (not my neighbour) dressed-up as Santa Claus. He smiled at me in a rather pompous manner; looking as if he was expecting me to throw myself at his feet. The following crowd had handfuls of traditional Palm frond crosses that they were expecting to hand-out to an admiring audience. Unfortunately Lady M, Billy, and myself were the only bystanders!

2. Chocolate: This year, I bought some cute-looking Lindt 'Chicks' (above). And I also bought some Mieszko 'CHERRISSIMO' Polish Liqueur chocolates, and, as you might imagine, they are filled with Cherry Liqueur. Absolutely bloody delicious; they should be available on prescription for all old people like me!

3. Hot Cross Buns (below): Easter wouldn't be Easter without plenty of afternoon toasted Hot Cross Buns, plastered with lots of good quality salted Butter. (Don't buy fancy buns, the ordinary ones are best)

4. Traditionally I roast a Goose on Easter Day itself, but this year we feasted on Friday the 3rd of April (yesterday); this was to accommodate grandsons' availability. There were six of us around the Paschal table, so my 4 kg Goose was perfect (hopefully with a few scraps left over for sandwiches). Goose is certainly amongst my favourite Easter goodies, but they're definitely more carcass than meat. However, the bones make great stock!

That's it. Easter is over for another year. The Donkeys have been returned to their field, and for us it'll be back to ordinary Chocolate, and afternoon Muffins for the next 9 months. Until Mince Pies and Chocolate Santas appear in the shops once again.  

You thought you'd heard it all !!!

 

Are you aware that there is a proud Hard Left Shoplifting Group in the UK, who go by the name of 'Take Back Power'?..... No, nor was I. 

Their sole aim is to steal from shops!

They believe that 'selling for profit' is THEFT, and as they hate THEFT they will THIEVE to show their hatred of THIEVING. Yes; that's how bright they are! Classic Lower IVth Form thinking.

They will steal from any business that makes a profit; they will attack theft with theft. In other words, they will steal from any PROFITABLE BUSINESSES, whether that be from Harrods or Oxfam.

At present they have been stealing from Tesco, Sainsbury, and Morrisons, where they claim to have 'liberated products for redistribution'.

As we ALL know (apart from these idiots), shoplifting has to be paid for, and a £% has to be added to all products to absorb the losses from theft, making everything slightly more expensive for those who obey the law; and DON'T steal (and, of course, for the thieves themselves). The current estimate is that the average UK family pays between £150 and £180 per annum extra to pay for all the theft. No doubt this will now rise. 

What amazes me the most about these dimwitted 'criminals' is that they imagine that they are 'do-gooders'. Modern day Robin Hoods. No, they are simply CRIMINALS, and should be prosecuted.

When STEALING becomes both normalised, and in their eyes almost 'heroic', you know that society has hit rock bottom.

Another group (activated by social media) are the more youthful 'LINK-UP'. They arrange online to gather in a particular spot, then go shoplifting en masse; anything up to 200 at a time. They choose shops such as M & S, then simply raid, steal, and cause chaos. They are all dressed alike (all in black with hoodies and masks), and are mostly teenagers. They are predictably all from a particular community, which I won't mention. This is a frightening new trend that needs to be stamped-out a.s.a.p. 

If both of these groups grow and continue, our high streets could soon be decimated!

The Theft Act of 1968 allows for heavy fines, and up to 7 years in prison for shoplifting. Expect these petty criminals to receive a good 'telling-off' or 'wrist-slapping'; if indeed they get that!

Welcome to the 21st Century UK.

The UK's expensive mistake!

 

One subject is never out of the UK's news; that of Illegal Immigration. THOSE BLOODY BOATS.

Let's get one thing absolutely clear. The French have no interest whatsoever in keeping all their illegals in France. The sooner they can be shot of them the better. This is OBVIOUS to all thinking people.

We have already given about £400 Million to the French to help stop the boats coming here, and we're currently hoping to give them another £2 Million per week for the next two years. Of course the French are very happy to take our money (remember the EU?), and their Gendarmes are happy to shout "No, please don't leave us" as their unwanted immigrants sail north for Blighty (above).

We (the UK) on the other hand, send our boats into the English Channel to pick them up, wrap them in cosy blankets, and taxi them over to Dover where they are then put into nice hotels and looked-after by the taxpayer.

Illegal immigration continues to increase, so WHAT HAVE THE FRENCH DONE WITH ALL OUR MONEY?

THEY are only too happy to be rid of these illegals, and WE seem happy to bring them over here. So why have we been paying them all this cash?

Can anyone from The Labour Party explain? 

The solution is actually very simple. Stop giving France any more money, then when we pick-up the swarthy-sailors mid-channel, turn the boat around and take them STRAIGHT BACK to where they came from (following EU rules)!

Bring back some COMMON SENSE.

p.s. All French Gendarmes carry knives and hand guns, so why couldn't one of them (there are 12 of them in the photo above) have put a hole in the rubber boat? Answer: Because they prefer to see them head for England; and no amount of our money will ever change that!

Plastic Bertrand

How many Belgian singers do you know of? And how many of them have had a huge international SMASH HIT record?

I moved to France in 1972, and five years later there was suddenly ONE SONG that one simply heard everywhere. It seemed to be the biggest hit record that France had ever known!

Belgian singer Plastic Bertrand (Roger Francois Jouret) came from nowhere. Suddenly his hit record 'Ca Plane Pour Moi' (Eng: everything's fine) became the rarest of things; a French international pop-music sensation.

France doesn't normally do 'Pop Music', they don't really understand it. They try, but somehow it never quite works. It always sounds a bit as if the musicians and the singer are reading from different song sheets. La Chanson Francaise is much more their style.

Then along comes the Belgian Mr Plastic, with his 5 chord, monotone, song, and the world goes crazy.

It just goes to show; you should never give up hope!

I still love it. It was the pre-teens anthem for my two older children.

Enjoy (if you can!).