It is really tempting to go for DIY. And I agree that dry cure would be my preference, but Asda's bacon really is very good. Not expensive either. Husband has been invited for coffee at the Lords. The guy who invited him is a Scotsman so I'm going to make butteries (rowies) as a gift. You can't get ...

Our next door neighbours are pleasant people but we don't have much in common. Funnily enough their parents/grandparents live next door to them on the other side. They're a wee bit elderly but their mindset is more like ours. Anyway, these next door neighbours don't seem to ever cook anything. They ...

Hi Westi, Nah, no chance of compo. Taxpayers money and all that. It might have been nice but what really hurt me was the injustice. And I wanted to see that put right. We're getting there. We only had one more level to go up and then we would have gone to an external tribunal of some sort. Maybe the...

I would think that pumpkins which were accidentally frozen would probably not have a good texture or very great taste. However, they could easily bulk out any casserole or curry so that's what I would do with them. Just use them as bulk. Add a teaspoon of Marmite. (Can you get Marmite where you are?...

Some religions prohibit eating pig. Jay Raynor, theoretically a Jew, as is my pal Tim, both like bacon. I mean if there really is a God would he try to prevent you from eating the best thing in the world? I spend all my sabbaths knocking on doors trying to convert people to atheism. I think it would...

Dishoom. Thie bacon naan is kinda a cult thing. So of course I had to try it. £20 for the kit and £6.50 delivery. Woo. That doesn't sound attractive. Included in the package were some blobs of dough to make a naan. Blugh, it was quite vile. I qualified as a chef 20+ years ago after I retired. I just...

... we would just not give up and went higher and higher so that the bad treatment of us would be recognised and apologised for. The barstewards closed ranks at evey turn but now, eventually, we have achieved our aim. Someone, nearly the level of the Prime Minister, has accepted that "mistakes ...

Collie dogs are da best. :D Excellent sheepdogs. Even as a child I could manage a big flock of sheep with a couple of collies. (They probably didn't need me anyway!) Miserable weather here today. Colourless sky. Rain is sh!tting down. Calling it bleak would be a compliment. The best thing to say abo...

I love Mr Shallot Man! (No. Not in 'that' way. I'm not trying to chat him up.) To Mr Shallot Man, my husband and I would be glad to welcome you to our home any time but you probably live too far away.. Why shallots? As a chef I can see their qualities - sweeter than onions, and so on but why focus o...

I posted a long reply - maybe took too long but I was chucked out. It doesn't bode well.

I'm sure that many of you correspond with an older person, just as I do. And then, if you don't hear from them for a while you start to wonder if they're still alive.

People make Wills for their beneficeries, could that not also have a list of who'd want to know they've gone?

There's an advert for a hedgehog house (£28) in our usual weekend newspaper. I dunno if it might be worth getting. Of course I want to be kind to hedgehogs and offer one a nice home. But I've never seen a hedgehog anywhere near here and I'm inclined to think the 'house' would be taken over by some r...

Our rental contract of the flat ends on Tuesday so it's full-on this weeknd. Yeah, I know we've had plenty of time to do something before, but we didn't for various reasons. Our house is in chaos with boxes and goodness know what all else and we need to get the flat emptied. We decided to have a hou...

I've never made picalilli. There are some chefs/cooks/bakers whose recipes I absolutely trust, eg Paul Hollywood for baking and to some extent cooking. When it comes to cooking some just seem nuts to me. Mary Berry, for example, I suppose she can bake but she can't cook for peanuts. Urgh. :( I'm not...

I remember several years ago there was such a storm in Aberdeen. The Aberdeen Harbour Master was interviewed on the telly.

The interviewer asked, "What's the wind speed now?"

The Habour Master replied, "I don't know but it's just blown a Land Rover off the cliff".

Blimey.