Vagueness and the Aftermath - A sporadic diary

[sovietsong]

got an old butcher near where we live, its great going to see him as he always has a dog for the bone, I will have a word with him, sounds incredible!

[Kev B]

Red I'm interested to know what was your speciality when hawking. What were you hawking and who did you trade best with. Young families, older people, ladies?

[RED-DOG]

Red I'm interested to know what was your speciality when hawking. What were you hawking and who did you trade best with. Young families, older people, ladies?

What a great question that is. I'll talk about it later. Right now, I have to pop to Morrisons before they run out of Warburton's Wholemeal again.

Before I go though, let me show you this. On my way home from my walk just now, I was poking about under a hedge, (As is my wont) when I found this.

Click to see full-size image.

It's obviously someone's stash, left there to be collected on the way back, so I didn't take it.

I did tie it's legs together with a bit of string though. That'll get him thinking.

[Rod Paradise]

Nice one tying the legs together.

Coincidentally in the local at lunchtime with my Dad & a friend walked in and handed us a brace of pheasant in a poly bag. Having been at a smoker last night I wasn't fit to clean them so Dad got the job - no pellet holes in them funny enough, so I think tonight's dinner will be braised poached pheasant.

Re homecure bacon, it still needs salts to cure it though doesn't it? - the salt kills bacteria that cause the meat to rot, drycure is with dry salt instead of brine I thought.

I've a good book on smoking and curing you're welcome to borrow if you want to try doing your own.

[RED-DOG]

Nice one tying the legs together.

Coincidentally in the local at lunchtime with my Dad & a friend walked in and handed us a brace of pheasant in a poly bag. Having been at a smoker last night I wasn't fit to clean them so Dad got the job - no pellet holes in them funny enough, so I think tonight's dinner will be braised poached pheasant.

Re homecure bacon, it still needs salts to cure it though doesn't it? - the salt kills bacteria that cause the meat to rot, drycure is with dry salt instead of brine I thought.

I've a good book on smoking and curing you're welcome to borrow if you want to try doing your own.

I don't know if they use salt when dry-curing or not Rod. I just know it isn't salty, and it tastes like Heaven on a butty.

[RED-DOG]

The evening meal would usually be something that had been simmering all day in a pot like the ones above. Again, the ingredients were simple.

Meat of one type or another, usually bacon bones, (Spare ribs, before it was fashionable to barbecue them were considered almost worthless, and could be had for a few pennies)  an ox tail, or perhaps a rabbit or two went into the pot, along with a large onion, some salt & pepper, and a couple of gallons of water. this would be left to simmer all day (if there was someone available to watch it) then, about an hour before serving, you would add your seasonal vegetables. (Seasonal vegetables were what ever was growing in a nearby field at the time).

Sometimes, if you were really lucky, you might get a steak & kidney pudden. My Gran's steak and kidney pudden's were legendary. As big as a football and stodgy enough to bring your digestive system to a complete standstill for several hours.

Of course, there wasn't always time for a hot meal, sometimes you might have to shift as soon as you came home from hawking, but there was usually some nice crusty bread with beef dripping, or proper butter and a slice of cheese.

Thankfully, calories didn't exist in those days.     

[sovietsong]

The evening meal would usually be something that had been simmering all day in a pot like the ones above. Again, the ingredients were simple.

Meat of one type or another, usually bacon bones, (Spare ribs, before it was fashionable to barbecue them were considered almost worthless, and could be had for a few pennies)  an ox tail, or perhaps a rabbit or two went into the pot, along with a large onion, some salt & pepper, and a couple of gallons of water. this would be left to simmer all day (if there was someone available to watch it) then, about an hour before serving, you would add your seasonal vegetables. (Seasonal vegetables were what ever was growing in a nearby field at the time).

Sometimes, if you were really lucky, you might get a steak & kidney pudden. My Gran's steak and kidney pudden's were legendary. As big as a football and stodgy enough to bring your digestive system to a complete standstill for several hours.

Of course, there wasn't always time for a hot meal, sometimes you might have to shift as soon as you came home from hawking, but there was usually some nice crusty bread with beef dripping, or proper butter and a slice of cheese.

Thankfully, calories didn't exist in those days.     

Sounds pretty good to me, cheaper cuts of meat are coming back with all this credit crunch malarkie i made a really tasty stew recently with lamb shin plus a few other bits that i got from my butcher friend!

If a few families were travelling together would they take it in turns to cook or would one family have that as a job whilst other people had other tasks?

[RED-DOG]

The evening meal would usually be something that had been simmering all day in a pot like the ones above. Again, the ingredients were simple.

Meat of one type or another, usually bacon bones, (Spare ribs, before it was fashionable to barbecue them were considered almost worthless, and could be had for a few pennies)  an ox tail, or perhaps a rabbit or two went into the pot, along with a large onion, some salt & pepper, and a couple of gallons of water. this would be left to simmer all day (if there was someone available to watch it) then, about an hour before serving, you would add your seasonal vegetables. (Seasonal vegetables were what ever was growing in a nearby field at the time).

Sometimes, if you were really lucky, you might get a steak & kidney pudden. My Gran's steak and kidney pudden's were legendary. As big as a football and stodgy enough to bring your digestive system to a complete standstill for several hours.

Of course, there wasn't always time for a hot meal, sometimes you might have to shift as soon as you came home from hawking, but there was usually some nice crusty bread with beef dripping, or proper butter and a slice of cheese.

Thankfully, calories didn't exist in those days.     

Sounds pretty good to me, cheaper cuts of meat are coming back with all this credit crunch malarkie i made a really tasty stew recently with lamb shin plus a few other bits that i got from my butcher friend!

If a few families were travelling together would they take it in turns to cook or would one family have that as a job whilst other people had other tasks?

Each family would usually do it's own cooking. That being said, a family could consist of several generations and have 20+ members.

Anyone is welcome to share a Gypsy's food at any time. If you happen to be there when a meal is served, you will be offered some, or, more often, given some whether you want it or not.

[sovietsong]

The evening meal would usually be something that had been simmering all day in a pot like the ones above. Again, the ingredients were simple.

Meat of one type or another, usually bacon bones, (Spare ribs, before it was fashionable to barbecue them were considered almost worthless, and could be had for a few pennies)  an ox tail, or perhaps a rabbit or two went into the pot, along with a large onion, some salt & pepper, and a couple of gallons of water. this would be left to simmer all day (if there was someone available to watch it) then, about an hour before serving, you would add your seasonal vegetables. (Seasonal vegetables were what ever was growing in a nearby field at the time).

Sometimes, if you were really lucky, you might get a steak & kidney pudden. My Gran's steak and kidney pudden's were legendary. As big as a football and stodgy enough to bring your digestive system to a complete standstill for several hours.

Of course, there wasn't always time for a hot meal, sometimes you might have to shift as soon as you came home from hawking, but there was usually some nice crusty bread with beef dripping, or proper butter and a slice of cheese.

Thankfully, calories didn't exist in those days.     

Sounds pretty good to me, cheaper cuts of meat are coming back with all this credit crunch malarkie i made a really tasty stew recently with lamb shin plus a few other bits that i got from my butcher friend!

If a few families were travelling together would they take it in turns to cook or would one family have that as a job whilst other people had other tasks?

Each family would usually do it's own cooking. That being said, a family could consist of several generations and have 20+ members.

Anyone is welcome to share a Gypsy's food at any time. If you happen to be there when a meal is served, you will be offered some, or, more often, given some whether you want it or not.

what time do you normally eat...

[RED-DOG]

Tonight's dilemma.

Option 1: Go play cash at DTD, invest £200> Good chance of doubling it up to £300

Option 2: Stay in and play the £100k GTD On Ladbrokes, invest £200> Small chance of winning several £1000s

What to do, what to do....

[Colchester Kev]

get some thick crusty bread, some real butter, a bit of nice jam and sit in the warm playing online and eating jam butties with a big old mug of tea.

[RED-DOG]

get some thick crusty bread, some real butter, a bit of nice jam and sit in the warm playing online and eating jam butties with a big old mug of tea.

Almost deffo gonna blew a deuce then though....

[Colchester Kev]

get some thick crusty bread, some real butter, a bit of nice jam and sit in the warm playing online and eating jam butties with a big old mug of tea.

Almost deffo gonna blew a deuce then though....

Its the old risk v reward dilemma ... besides if you go to DTD them two fat blokes (jakally and Mitch) might be there, and they nick your chips.... both the monetary ones and the potato ones

[RED-DOG]

get some thick crusty bread, some real butter, a bit of nice jam and sit in the warm playing online and eating jam butties with a big old mug of tea.

Almost deffo gonna blew a deuce then though....

Its the old risk v reward dilemma ... besides if you go to DTD them two fat blokes (jakally and Mitch) might be there, and they nick your chips.... both the monetary ones and the potato ones

That's very true... (The part about them being fat)

They don't nick my chips, because they know I'm a rock and I've always got it.

[RED-DOG]

I'm leaning toward going to see Neil and Mitch (aka Fat & Fatter) now....