I think we can add coffee standards along side business class flights, 5* star hotels and the latest fine dining locations to reason why we know Pb.com is clearly an accurate representation of the nation!
Conservatives are not seeking the votes of Londoners, so it's hardly surprising that Londoners are not currently inclined to give them. I look forward with interest to see the Conservatives' latest vote-repelling action for the capital.
If the Tories announced that "A Flat White is just a Latte with less milk" then they would lose half of their remaining support in London.
Who said that? It's a doppio with about half the milk of a latte.
Conservatives are not seeking the votes of Londoners, so it's hardly surprising that Londoners are not currently inclined to give them. I look forward with interest to see the Conservatives' latest vote-repelling action for the capital.
Banning cappuccino with chocolate sprinkles...... ?
** runs and hides **
No true Londoner has chocolate sprinkles. That's definitely an out of towner thing to do!
No-one with any taste at all puts chocolate on their coffee. Unless they're secretly hankering after an Ovaltine or about 4 years old.
The English are very prone to taking delicious dishes from abroad and turning them into the sort of mush you find in some of the less nice old peoples' homes. Pineapple on pizza, for instance; chocolate on cappuccino - which barely tastes of coffee at all in any case; spag Bol which is usually some overcooked pasta with a bit of mince and tomato paste on top (the horror!).
Such zealotry. Every time a barista asks me now if I want chocolate on my cappuccino I think of you with a twinge of guilt. And then say yes.
I'm touched.
Good food is one of the great pleasures of life. If you had tasted my mother's bolognese, mmmm!! - you would not put up with what passes for it here. It is not zealotry. It is wanting to repeat sensuous pleasures.
I'd say that the worst abominations are English Mexican food, and English Thai food.
... But before Conservatives become too smug, they have similar problems, with traditional-values voters in steady retreat and intellectual free marketeers a minority taste. Even more than Labour, they have an identity crisis to the point that it's hard to determine what they're for, except for keeping Labour out.
That's a very strong purpose, given Labour's current state. It would be different if the leader was, say, Ed Balls or David Miliband or Yvette Cooper or Andy Burnham, or indeed almost any of the ministers you served under.
Conservatives are not seeking the votes of Londoners, so it's hardly surprising that Londoners are not currently inclined to give them. I look forward with interest to see the Conservatives' latest vote-repelling action for the capital.
If the Tories announced that "A Flat White is just a Latte with less milk" then they would lose half of their remaining support in London.
Who said that? It's a doppio with about half the milk of a latte.
Conservatives are not seeking the votes of Londoners, so it's hardly surprising that Londoners are not currently inclined to give them. I look forward with interest to see the Conservatives' latest vote-repelling action for the capital.
Banning cappuccino with chocolate sprinkles...... ?
** runs and hides **
No true Londoner has chocolate sprinkles. That's definitely an out of towner thing to do!
No-one with any taste at all puts chocolate on their coffee. Unless they're secretly hankering after an Ovaltine or about 4 years old.
The English are very prone to taking delicious dishes from abroad and turning them into the sort of mush you find in some of the less nice old peoples' homes. Pineapple on pizza, for instance; chocolate on cappuccino - which barely tastes of coffee at all in any case; spag Bol which is usually some overcooked pasta with a bit of mince and tomato paste on top (the horror!).
Until fairly recently, nice food was seen in England as being slightly effeminate and a bit too French.
I can still break out in a cold sweat about "well done" (cremated) beef, and vegetables boiled to death, which my grandparents generation seemed to enjoy.
grey.
if the best we should aspire to is a cup of instant/charred gerbil without accusations of pretentiousness.
In my experience, good, unelaborate food can be obtained throughout most of the country, across a range of eateries. Elaborate food, on the other hand, is frequently a disaster, often an expensive disaster.
WRT coffee, I draw the line at drinking weasel vomit or civet cat excrement.
In my experience, it is very difficult to find a decent cooked meal in large swathes of the country, unless you want to go very up-market.
We lack the basic, grandma-cooking option: cheap but excellent. Most pubs just offer a range of fried bleugh.
Or because Labour is not a social democrat party under Corbyn.
Well, quite. I thought it was precisely not being a Blairite social democrat which was Corbyn's main attraction.
Anyone reading the recent FT article with McDonnell could hardly think that he will be a social democratic Chancellor.
Jones's question is a good one though: why has social democracy lost its charm? The answers might not, though, be to his tastes, given the sorts of parties voters are turning to.
Left-of-centre parties are traditionally a mixture of middle-class "progressives" and working-class "my party" voters. The former has strengthened over the years to the point that most urban professionals are leftish, but many of those go all the way and want real socialism (however one defines that). The latter has weakened, both because of the perception that the party has lost interest in their concerns (e.g. immigration) and simply because the working class is much smaller than it was.
But before Conservatives become too smug, they have similar problems, with traditional-values voters in steady retreat and intellectual free marketeers a minority taste. Even more than Labour, they have an identity crisis to the point that it's hard to determine what they're for, except for keeping Labour out.
By far the biggest demographic problem the Tories have going forward is the significant reduction in home ownership in the young. These should be the tory voters of the future but they are well pissed off that they are not being allowed on the housing ladder. Our SoS for Housing was on R4 this morning promising 350k new houses a year. Seems quite optimistic but it is really important for the Tories going forward that the vast bulk of those are home owners.
I don't eat out much, but would like to praise the fish and chips I had the last time (some time ago...) I was in the Lake District. Chips were delicious, and a single portion was sufficient for three people.
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
Funny this should come up just as I am enjoying a fresh coffee from my cafetiere.
I have always been one for simple food, well cooked. Cheaper, better quality, quick to prepare.
Indeed and I am now in the happy position where my eldest son (still living at home, sigh!) has taken to cooking a meal most evenings, usually involving lots of green vegetables and fish.
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
Funny this should come up just as I am enjoying a fresh coffee from my cafetiere.
I have always been one for simple food, well cooked. Cheaper, better quality, quick to prepare.
As the late Clarissa Dickson Wright observed “We’ve got too many chefs and not enough cooks”
Conservatives are not seeking the votes of Londoners, so it's hardly surprising that Londoners are not currently inclined to give them. I look forward with interest to see the Conservatives' latest vote-repelling action for the capital.
If the Tories announced that "A Flat White is just a Latte with less milk" then they would lose half of their remaining support in London.
Who said that? It's a doppio with about half the milk of a latte.
Conservatives are not seeking the votes of Londoners, so it's hardly surprising that Londoners are not currently inclined to give them. I look forward with interest to see the Conservatives' latest vote-repelling action for the capital.
Banning cappuccino with chocolate sprinkles...... ?
** runs and hides **
No true Londoner has chocolate sprinkles. That's definitely an out of towner thing to do!
No-one with any taste at all puts chocolate on their coffee. Unless they're secretly hankering after an Ovaltine or about 4 years old.
The English are very prone to taking delicious dishes from abroad and turning them into the sort of mush you find in some of the less nice old peoples' homes. Pineapple on pizza, for instance; chocolate on cappuccino - which barely tastes of coffee at all in any case; spag Bol which is usually some overcooked pasta with a bit of mince and tomato paste on top (the horror!).
Such zealotry. Every time a barista asks me now if I want chocolate on my cappuccino I think of you with a twinge of guilt. And then say yes.
I'm touched.
Good food is one of the great pleasures of life. If you had tasted my mother's bolognese, mmmm!! - you would not put up with what passes for it here. It is not zealotry. It is wanting to repeat sensuous pleasures.
Milk and white wine are the signature ingredients of bolognese, at least according to the mayor of Bologna.
I cannot bear milk or sugar in coffee or tea, both just subterfuges for people who do not like coffee or tea but feel obliged to drink them. A cappuccino in itself is such an abortion that it's hard to think that chocolate makes much difference.
Until fairly recently, nice food was seen in England as being slightly effeminate and a bit too French.
I can still break out in a cold sweat about "well done" (cremated) beef, and vegetables boiled to death, which my grandparents generation seemed to enjoy.
I think there was a general view that vegetables were bad for you, unless they were boiled thoroughly grey.
It’s one of the most annoying things about the U.K. that good food is seen as “posh”, as opposed to the simplest and most accessible of life’s enjoyments.
Still echoes of it on this board with the sneering about London coffee - as if the best we should aspire to is a cup of instant/charred gerbil without accusations of pretentiousness.
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
This also goes for fancy food which we are told is 'good' in expensive establishments like Pretentious a Manger. No Pret, this brie panini isn't good because you've diluted the brie with avocado and sprinkled walnuts on top.
1) will Brexit fallout alter levels of enthusiasm for voting (on either side)? I can imagine furious Remainers being particularly keen to go out and send a message.
2) as Labour becomes less a party of the working class, will its turnout in local elections improve?
3) or, as the Conservatives get steadily more geriatric, will their voter base become keener on turning out for local elections?
One constituency that *might* turn out in larger numbers (turnout having been very low heretofore) is citizens of other EU countries; not having a vote at the Ref or the GE, the locals is their only chance to have a say. In London especially, this is likely to amplify Tory woes.
On topic, Ladbrokes have Labour at 5-1 on to win a majority in Barnet, and the Conservatives 2-7. Those are daft odds. Labour are no more than slight favourites.
I don't eat out much, but would like to praise the fish and chips I had the last time (some time ago...) I was in the Lake District. Chips were delicious, and a single portion was sufficient for three people.
I always thought, Mr Dancer, that your dinners were roasted on a spit by the kitchen staff and then served on a square plate in the Great Hall as the commencement of the evening banquet
Until fairly recently, nice food was seen in England as being slightly effeminate and a bit too French.
I can still break out in a cold sweat about "well done" (cremated) beef, and vegetables boiled to death, which my grandparents generation seemed to enjoy.
I think there was a general view that vegetables were bad for you, unless they were boiled thoroughly grey.
It’s one of the most annoying things about the U.K. that good food is seen as “posh”, as opposed to the simplest and most accessible of life’s enjoyments.
Still echoes of it on this board with the sneering about London coffee - as if the best we should aspire to is a cup of instant/charred gerbil without accusations of pretentiousness.
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
This also goes for fancy food which we are told is 'good' in expensive establishments like Pretentious a Manger. No Pret, this brie panini isn't good because you've diluted the brie with avocado and sprinkled walnuts on top.
Why pret Is so popular is even more confusing to me than popularity of jezza.
Until fairly recently, nice food was seen in England as being slightly effeminate and a bit too French.
I can still break out in a cold sweat about "well done" (cremated) beef, and vegetables boiled to death, which my grandparents generation seemed to enjoy.
I think there was a general view that vegetables were bad for you, unless they were boiled thoroughly grey.
It’s one of the most annoying things about the U.K. that good food is seen as “posh”, as opposed to the simplest and most accessible of life’s enjoyments.
Still echoes of it on this board with the sneering about London coffee - as if the best we should aspire to is a cup of instant/charred gerbil without accusations of pretentiousness.
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
This also goes for fancy food which we are told is 'good' in expensive establishments like Pretentious a Manger. No Pret, this brie panini isn't good because you've diluted the brie with avocado and sprinkled walnuts on top.
Pret is an amazing business, and does that incredible thing of being a successful U.K. food business in both New York and Paris.
Typical of Brexit thinking to want to do it down.
Also, they’d never put avocado and Brie together. So your grizzle is entirely fictitious.
Works on similar principles to a cafetiere, but is entirely non-metal, as the inventor claims metal spoils the taste. They even include a plastic scoop, and stirrer.
Of course, on ebay you can buy a metal plate to replace the paper filter, which rather misses the point...
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
Funny this should come up just as I am enjoying a fresh coffee from my cafetiere.
I have always been one for simple food, well cooked. Cheaper, better quality, quick to prepare.
Indeed and I am now in the happy position where my eldest son (still living at home, sigh!) has taken to cooking a meal most evenings, usually involving lots of green vegetables and fish.
Is he cooking for all of you? That would be a major victory
Banking is where one of my Swiss colleagues pointed out our error. He said the UK government started from the wrong place and should have framed it as "what are you going to give us so your companies and banks don't lose access to London's markets". He said we took a defensive line far too early and let the EU dictate something where the UK holds much more power than they do.
That was the view of Andreas Dombret, the Bundesbank chief. He was quite happy for the BoE/UK to manage some of the dodginess so his bank didn't have to. He's changed his mind now. Just move the regulation and the banks to the EU and get it over with.
To clarify, the reason Dombret changed his mind was that he didn't rate the chances of getting a workable cross-border arrangement. Whether that was the fault of the UK being inflexible or fellow EU members wanting to grab part of the UK financial services pie, or for technical reasons wasn't clear.
Until fairly recently, nice food was seen in England as being slightly effeminate and a bit too French.
I can still break out in a cold sweat about "well done" (cremated) beef, and vegetables boiled to death, which my grandparents generation seemed to enjoy.
I think there was a general view that vegetables were bad for you, unless they were boiled thoroughly grey.
It’s one of the most annoying things about the U.K. that good food is seen as “posh”, as opposed to the simplest and most accessible of life’s enjoyments.
Still echoes of it on this board with the sneering about London coffee - as if the best we should aspire to is a cup of instant/charred gerbil without accusations of pretentiousness.
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
This also goes for fancy food which we are told is 'good' in expensive establishments like Pretentious a Manger. No Pret, this brie panini isn't good because you've diluted the brie with avocado and sprinkled walnuts on top.
Pret is an amazing business, and does that incredible thing of being a successful U.K. food business in both New York and Paris.
Typical of Brexit thinking to want to do it down.
Also, they’d never put avocado and Brie together. So your grizzle is entirely fictitious.
Pret is very nice basic food done well. I won't touch their coffee for all the reasons outlined on here by others concerning Starcostanero but their food is good.
Or because Labour is not a social democrat party under Corbyn.
Well, quite. I thought it was precisely not being a Blairite social democrat which was Corbyn's main attraction.
Anyone reading the recent FT article with McDonnell could hardly think that he will be a social democratic Chancellor.
Jones's question is a good one though: why has social democracy lost its charm? The answers might not, though, be to his tastes, given the sorts of parties voters are turning to.
Left-of-centre parties are traditionally a mixture of middle-class "progressives" and working-class "my party" voters. The former has strengthened over the years to the point that most urban professionals are leftish, but many of those go all the way and want real socialism (however one defines that). The latter has weakened, both because of the perception that the party has lost interest in their concerns (e.g. immigration) and simply because the working class is much smaller than it was.
But before Conservatives become too smug, they have similar problems, with traditional-values voters in steady retreat and intellectual free marketeers a minority taste. Even more than Labour, they have an identity crisis to the point that it's hard to determine what they're for, except for keeping Labour out.
By far the biggest demographic problem the Tories have going forward is the significant reduction in home ownership in the young. These should be the tory voters of the future but they are well pissed off that they are not being allowed on the housing ladder. Our SoS for Housing was on R4 this morning promising 350k new houses a year. Seems quite optimistic but it is really important for the Tories going forward that the vast bulk of those are home owners.
The problem is landlords. There is real anger among my friends that a third of their post tax wages get spent paying rent to private landlords. The government must continue to force them out of the housing market and at the same time make it easier for FTBs. Until at least two thirds of houses in the private rental market are returned to owner occupation the Tories will struggle to win in the 24-40 year old bracket.
We are seen as the party who stand up for landlords, not the party who want to get young people onto the property ladder. We must change that notion by whatever means necessary even if it means a 5% annual stamp duty on second homes etc...
Until fairly recently, nice food was seen in England as being slightly effeminate and a bit too French.
I can still break out in a cold sweat about "well done" (cremated) beef, and vegetables boiled to death, which my grandparents generation seemed to enjoy.
I think there was a general view that vegetables were bad for you, unless they were boiled thoroughly grey.
It’s one of the most annoying things about the U.K. that good food is seen as “posh”, as opposed to the simplest and most accessible of life’s enjoyments.
Still echoes of it on this board with the sneering about London coffee - as if the best we should aspire to is a cup of instant/charred gerbil without accusations of pretentiousness.
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
This also goes for fancy food which we are told is 'good' in expensive establishments like Pretentious a Manger. No Pret, this brie panini isn't good because you've diluted the brie with avocado and sprinkled walnuts on top.
Pret is an amazing business, and does that incredible thing of being a successful U.K. food business in both New York and Paris.
Was in Galeries Lafayette a few weeks ago and the Pret was heaving.....I wonder if they think it’s French?
We are seen as the party who stand up for landlords, not the party who want to get young people onto the property ladder. We must change that notion by whatever means necessary even if it means a 5% annual stamp duty on second homes etc...
That will upset the Telegraph, they always whine about the "poor" old second home owners.
Until fairly recently, nice food was seen in England as being slightly effeminate and a bit too French.
I can still break out in a cold sweat about "well done" (cremated) beef, and vegetables boiled to death, which my grandparents generation seemed to enjoy.
I think there was a general view that vegetables were bad for you, unless they were boiled thoroughly grey.
It’s one of the most annoying things about the U.K. that good food is seen as “posh”, as opposed to the simplest and most accessible of life’s enjoyments.
Still echoes of it on this board with the sneering about London coffee - as if the best we should aspire to is a cup of instant/charred gerbil without accusations of pretentiousness.
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
This also goes for fancy food which we are told is 'good' in expensive establishments like Pretentious a Manger. No Pret, this brie panini isn't good because you've diluted the brie with avocado and sprinkled walnuts on top.
Pret is an amazing business, and does that incredible thing of being a successful U.K. food business in both New York and Paris.
Was in Galeries Lafayette a few weeks ago and the Pret was heaving.....I wonder if they think it’s French?
Until fairly recently, nice food was seen in England as being slightly effeminate and a bit too French.
I can still break out in a cold sweat about "well done" (cremated) beef, and vegetables boiled to death, which my grandparents generation seemed to enjoy.
I think there was a general view that vegetables were bad for you, unless they were boiled thoroughly grey.
It’s one of the most annoying things about the U.K. that good food is seen as “posh”, as opposed to the simplest and most accessible of life’s enjoyments.
Still echoes of it on this board with the sneering about London coffee - as if the best we should aspire to is a cup of instant/charred gerbil without accusations of pretentiousness.
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
This also goes for fancy food which we are told is 'good' in expensive establishments like Pretentious a Manger. No Pret, this brie panini isn't good because you've diluted the brie with avocado and sprinkled walnuts on top.
Pret is an amazing business, and does that incredible thing of being a successful U.K. food business in both New York and Paris.
Typical of Brexit thinking to want to do it down.
Also, they’d never put avocado and Brie together. So your grizzle is entirely fictitious.
"BRIE, AVOCADO & TOMATO TOASTIE This classic recipe combines beautifully ripe French brie, freshly sliced avocado, sweet roasted tomatoes and fresh basil. Simple and delicious."
Yes they do and it sounds like an awful combo. But agree that Pret is a decent cafe, prefer it to the other high street brands in London.
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
Funny this should come up just as I am enjoying a fresh coffee from my cafetiere.
I have always been one for simple food, well cooked. Cheaper, better quality, quick to prepare.
Indeed and I am now in the happy position where my eldest son (still living at home, sigh!) has taken to cooking a meal most evenings, usually involving lots of green vegetables and fish.
Is he cooking for all of you? That would be a major victory
Given that the Cyclefree family is scattered far and wide these days, it is mostly just me and him. But, yes, a major victory because he enjoys it and it is a very good life skill to have.
Until fairly recently, nice food was seen in England as being slightly effeminate and a bit too French.
I can still break out in a cold sweat about "well done" (cremated) beef, and vegetables boiled to death, which my grandparents generation seemed to enjoy.
I think there was a general view that vegetables were bad for you, unless they were boiled thoroughly grey.
It’s one of the most annoying things about the U.K. that good food is seen as “posh”, as opposed to the simplest and most accessible of life’s enjoyments.
Still echoes of it on this board with the sneering about London coffee - as if the best we should aspire to is a cup of instant/charred gerbil without accusations of pretentiousness.
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
This also goes for fancy food which we are told is 'good' in expensive establishments like Pretentious a Manger. No Pret, this brie panini isn't good because you've diluted the brie with avocado and sprinkled walnuts on top.
Pret is an amazing business, and does that incredible thing of being a successful U.K. food business in both New York and Paris.
Typical of Brexit thinking to want to do it down.
Also, they’d never put avocado and Brie together. So your grizzle is entirely fictitious.
"BRIE, AVOCADO & TOMATO TOASTIE This classic recipe combines beautifully ripe French brie, freshly sliced avocado, sweet roasted tomatoes and fresh basil. Simple and delicious."
Yes they do and it sounds like an awful combo. But agree that Pret is a decent cafe, prefer it to the other high street brands in London.
It's certainly more hygienic than the café I used to get my sandwiches from as an Articled Clerk.
I once saw the owner vigorously picking his nose while making the sandwiches and never returned.
The problem is landlords. There is real anger among my friends that a third of their post tax wages get spent paying rent to private landlords. The government must continue to force them out of the housing market and at the same time make it easier for FTBs. Until at least two thirds of houses in the private rental market are returned to owner occupation the Tories will struggle to win in the 24-40 year old bracket.
We are seen as the party who stand up for landlords, not the party who want to get young people onto the property ladder. We must change that notion by whatever means necessary even if it means a 5% annual stamp duty on second homes etc...
Having MPs like Philip Davies really doesn't do the Tories any favours here.
Works on similar principles to a cafetiere, but is entirely non-metal, as the inventor claims metal spoils the taste. They even include a plastic scoop, and stirrer.
Of course, on ebay you can buy a metal plate to replace the paper filter, which rather misses the point...
Interesting, but I have used a cafetiere for years and it is fine, no problems with taste. Also, no filters are required. My £6 cafetiere will last a while yet whereas plastic that gets repeatedly heated becomes brittle over time.
Until fairly recently, nice food was seen in England as being slightly effeminate and a bit too French.
I can still break out in a cold sweat about "well done" (cremated) beef, and vegetables boiled to death, which my grandparents generation seemed to enjoy.
I think there was a general view that vegetables were bad for you, unless they were boiled thoroughly grey.
It’s one of the most annoying things about the U.K. that good food is seen as “posh”, as opposed to the simplest and most accessible of life’s enjoyments.
Still echoes of it on this board with the sneering about London coffee - as if the best we should aspire to is a cup of instant/charred gerbil without accusations of pretentiousness.
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
This also goes for fancy food which we are told is 'good' in expensive establishments like Pretentious a Manger. No Pret, this brie panini isn't good because you've diluted the brie with avocado and sprinkled walnuts on top.
Pret is an amazing business, and does that incredible thing of being a successful U.K. food business in both New York and Paris.
Typical of Brexit thinking to want to do it down.
Also, they’d never put avocado and Brie together. So your grizzle is entirely fictitious.
Pret is very nice basic food done well. I won't touch their coffee for all the reasons outlined on here by others concerning Starcostanero but their food is good.
You are wrong.
The chain coffee hierarchy goes
Pret > Cafe Nero > Costa > Starbucks
This is without regard to price, just the quality of the product. Honorary mention to McDonald’s which is surprisingly innoffensive. I haven’t tried the Wetherspoons offer, I wouldn’t be surprised if that were not bad either.
Left-of-centre parties are traditionally a mixture of middle-class "progressives" and working-class "my party" voters. The former has strengthened over the years to the point that most urban professionals are leftish, but many of those go all the way and want real socialism (however one defines that). The latter has weakened, both because of the perception that the party has lost interest in their concerns (e.g. immigration) and simply because the working class is much smaller than it was.
But before Conservatives become too smug, they have similar problems, with traditional-values voters in steady retreat and intellectual free marketeers a minority taste. Even more than Labour, they have an identity crisis to the point that it's hard to determine what they're for, except for keeping Labour out.
By far the biggest demographic problem the Tories have going forward is the significant reduction in home ownership in the young. These should be the tory voters of the future but they are well pissed off that they are not being allowed on the housing ladder. Our SoS for Housing was on R4 this morning promising 350k new houses a year. Seems quite optimistic but it is really important for the Tories going forward that the vast bulk of those are home owners.
The problem is landlords. There is real anger among my friends that a third of their post tax wages get spent paying rent to private landlords. The government must continue to force them out of the housing market and at the same time make it easier for FTBs. Until at least two thirds of houses in the private rental market are returned to owner occupation the Tories will struggle to win in the 24-40 year old bracket.
We are seen as the party who stand up for landlords, not the party who want to get young people onto the property ladder. We must change that notion by whatever means necessary even if it means a 5% annual stamp duty on second homes etc...
In fairness Osborne did a number of things to help FTBs and to discourage BTLs. The problem is that those who decided BTLs were the way to supplement the meagre returns they were getting on their pension are also Tories by and large. If they have already lost their final salary pension they will feel very hard put upon. The increase in corporate landlords is perhaps a greater concern than the couple with a couple of flats and much harder to push out the market.
Until fairly recently, nice food was seen in England as being slightly effeminate and a bit too French.
I can still break out in a cold sweat about "well done" (cremated) beef, and vegetables boiled to death, which my grandparents generation seemed to enjoy.
I think there was a general view that vegetables were bad for you, unless they were boiled thoroughly grey.
It’s one of the most annoying things about the U.K. that good food is seen as “posh”, as opposed to the simplest and most accessible of life’s enjoyments.
Still echoes of it on this board with the sneering about London coffee - as if the best we should aspire to is a cup of instant/charred gerbil without accusations of pretentiousness.
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
This also goes for fancy food which we are told is 'good' in expensive establishments like Pretentious a Manger. No Pret, this brie panini isn't good because you've diluted the brie with avocado and sprinkled walnuts on top.
Pret is an amazing business, and does that incredible thing of being a successful U.K. food business in both New York and Paris.
Typical of Brexit thinking to want to do it down.
Also, they’d never put avocado and Brie together. So your grizzle is entirely fictitious.
I had one on Friday because work colleagues wanted to go there for lunch. Wasn't worth the money, and the service was mediocre. Nothing to do with Brexit.
Banking is where one of my Swiss colleagues pointed out our error. He said the UK government started from the wrong place and should have framed it as "what are you going to give us so your companies and banks don't lose access to London's markets". He said we took a defensive line far too early and let the EU dictate something where the UK holds much more power than they do.
That was the view of Andreas Dombret, the Bundesbank chief. He was quite happy for the BoE/UK to manage some of the dodginess so his bank didn't have to. He's changed his mind now. Just move the regulation and the banks to the EU and get it over with.
To clarify, the reason Dombret changed his mind was that he didn't rate the chances of getting a workable cross-border arrangement. Whether that was the fault of the UK being inflexible or fellow EU members wanting to grab part of the UK financial services pie, or for technical reasons wasn't clear.
The issue for the EU is that the money markets are in London and they aren't there soley because the UK in the EU, they are there because of a combination of factors, the EU being just one smaller factor well behind the legal system and the strength of the UK's courts in upholding the law (favourable to investors) vs the EU which is seen as much weaker in protecting investor money.
Which is why he pointed it out and I'm inclined to agree. Still, it's far too late for that, the government took a position and there's no chance of changing it now.
As for moving the banks, people have predicted doom and gloom for Switzerland's financial sector for at least 20 years, it's always been London or Frankfurt (usually the latter) that will come and take our business away. Well it's still here and stronger than ever. I think the EU are trying again to steal Switzerland's money markets but it will come to nothing again, just as it will with London.
In my experience, it is very difficult to find a decent cooked meal in large swathes of the country, unless you want to go very up-market.
We lack the basic, grandma-cooking option: cheap but excellent. Most pubs just offer a range of fried bleugh.
Do Miller and Carter steaks pass the Gardenwalker test ?
Miller & Carter are not cheap unless you compare them to London prices. Having said that, there is a pub called "The Rocket" around the corner from Euston Station - just beside the British Library - which used to do a very nice steak & chips for under £10. I used to eat there when catching trains back home from London as I could have a half decent meal and a glass of red before staggering around the corner to catch my train. Anything was better than the cooking schools that masqueraded as food outlets in Euston.
Until fairly recently, nice food was seen in England as being slightly effeminate and a bit too French.
I can still break out in a cold sweat about "well done" (cremated) beef, and vegetables boiled to death, which my grandparents generation seemed to enjoy.
I think there was a general view that vegetables were bad for you, unless they were boiled thoroughly grey.
It’s one of the most annoying things about the U.K. that good food is seen as “posh”, as opposed to the simplest and most accessible of life’s enjoyments.
Still echoes of it on this board with the sneering about London coffee - as if the best we should aspire to is a cup of instant/charred gerbil without accusations of pretentiousness.
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
This also goes for fancy food which we are told is 'good' in expensive establishments like Pretentious a Manger. No Pret, this brie panini isn't good because you've diluted the brie with avocado and sprinkled walnuts on top.
Pret is an amazing business, and does that incredible thing of being a successful U.K. food business in both New York and Paris.
Typical of Brexit thinking to want to do it down.
Also, they’d never put avocado and Brie together. So your grizzle is entirely fictitious.
I had one on Friday because work colleagues wanted to go there for lunch. Wasn't worth the money, and the service was mediocre. Nothing to do with Brexit.
My view on Italy FWIW....the beauty of the country, the history, the food, weather, mountains, countryside, sea, the style and panache....and great coffee....you cannot have all that and expect to have Scandanavian type politicians....
Works on similar principles to a cafetiere, but is entirely non-metal, as the inventor claims metal spoils the taste. They even include a plastic scoop, and stirrer.
Of course, on ebay you can buy a metal plate to replace the paper filter, which rather misses the point...
Get a V60 coffee next time you're down in London. It's the best type and I wish I could get it in Switzerland.
Good food is one of the great pleasures of life. If you had tasted my mother's bolognese, mmmm!! - you would not put up with what passes for it here. It is not zealotry. It is wanting to repeat sensuous pleasures.
I dunno, people identify with their tastes in food and music (this is divine, that is crap and you're an idiot if you like it) in a way that they don't nearly so much about, say, literature. I've been fortunate enough to try a very wide range of food both in Britain and abroad, but my standard fare is a Tesco microwaved curry and a can of Coke. I used to feel embarassed about it, but why? They're my tastebuds, I'll do what I like with them.
Pineapple on pizza is good too, especially with anchovies. Basically I like salty food and cold sparkling drinks, while chocolate, cake and indeed any sweet food leaves me cold. Other people prefer something else, that's fine.
I don't object to Starbucks. It's a table renting service. Actually their coffee is acceptable if you avoid the drinks with ridiculous amounts of milk. I normally drink tea there, though, so maybe that says something.
In my experience, it is very difficult to find a decent cooked meal in large swathes of the country, unless you want to go very up-market.
We lack the basic, grandma-cooking option: cheap but excellent. Most pubs just offer a range of fried bleugh.
Do Miller and Carter steaks pass the Gardenwalker test ?
Never heard of them. Steak is so expensive, I’d you want it done well. For a very cheap option, I’m a fan of Leon. Not sure how far North they go, but I know there’s one at Birmingham New Street.
Conservatives are not seeking the votes of Londoners, so it's hardly surprising that Londoners are not currently inclined to give them. I look forward with interest to see the Conservatives' latest vote-repelling action for the capital.
If the Tories announced that "A Flat White is just a Latte with less milk" then they would lose half of their remaining support in London.
Who said that? It's a doppio with about half the milk of a latte.
Conservatives are not seeking the votes of Londoners, so it's hardly surprising that Londoners are not currently inclined to give them. I look forward with interest to see the Conservatives' latest vote-repelling action for the capital.
Banning cappuccino with chocolate sprinkles...... ?
** runs and hides **
No true Londoner has chocolate sprinkles. That's definitely an out of towner thing to do!
No-one with any taste at all puts chocolate on their coffee. Unless they're secretly hankering after an Ovaltine or about 4 years old.
The English are very prone to taking delicious dishes from abroad and turning them into the sort of mush you find in some of the less nice old peoples' homes. Pineapple on pizza, for instance; chocolate on cappuccino - which barely tastes of coffee at all in any case; spag Bol which is usually some overcooked pasta with a bit of mince and tomato paste on top (the horror!).
Such zealotry. Every time a barista asks me now if I want chocolate on my cappuccino I think of you with a twinge of guilt. And then say yes.
I'm touched.
Good food is one of the great pleasures of life. If you had tasted my mother's bolognese, mmmm!! - you would not put up with what passes for it here. It is not zealotry. It is wanting to repeat sensuous pleasures.
Milk and white wine are the signature ingredients of bolognese, at least according to the mayor of Bologna.
I cannot bear milk or sugar in coffee or tea, both just subterfuges for people who do not like coffee or tea but feel obliged to drink them. A cappuccino in itself is such an abortion that it's hard to think that chocolate makes much difference.
NATO Standard tea = milk and two sugars. Stuff of life.
Am about to go and have a cup right now for that matter.
1) Live and let live. Different people like different things. 2) Starbucks have the worst coffee and the best seats. If taken there, green tea will do. 3) Pret's baguettes are made with bread that is far too soggy for me. 4) Subway's fare seems all but inedible to me, but apparently massively oversalted produce has a market. 5) I am in awe of the so-called gourmet burger market, where the prices aren't remotely justified by the produce. Mind you, I remember enjoying having Five Guys for the first time. 6) A well-made kebab is both healthier and tastier than any of the above, in my view. 7) I'm quite enjoying Vital's work at present.
In my experience, it is very difficult to find a decent cooked meal in large swathes of the country, unless you want to go very up-market.
We lack the basic, grandma-cooking option: cheap but excellent. Most pubs just offer a range of fried bleugh.
Do Miller and Carter steaks pass the Gardenwalker test ?
Miller & Carter are not cheap unless you compare them to London prices. Having said that, there is a pub called "The Rocket" around the corner from Euston Station - just beside the British Library - which used to do a very nice steak & chips for under £10. I used to eat there when catching trains back home from London as I could have a half decent meal and a glass of red before staggering around the corner to catch my train. Anything was better than the cooking schools that masqueraded as food outlets in Euston.
The last food I had in London was at the 'Bree Louise', pie and peas for ~£6 near Euston... & very nice it was too. Corbyn headed in for a pint too Actually he didn't, but its the sort of place you could imagine him drinking at
Works on similar principles to a cafetiere, but is entirely non-metal, as the inventor claims metal spoils the taste. They even include a plastic scoop, and stirrer.
Of course, on ebay you can buy a metal plate to replace the paper filter, which rather misses the point...
Get a V60 coffee next time you're down in London. It's the best type and I wish I could get it in Switzerland.
Until fairly recently, nice food was seen in England as being slightly effeminate and a bit too French.
I can still break out in a cold sweat about "well done" (cremated) beef, and vegetables boiled to death, which my grandparents generation seemed to enjoy.
I think there was a general view that vegetables were bad for you, unless they were boiled thoroughly grey.
It’s one of the most annoying things about the U.K. that good food is seen as “posh”, as opposed to the simplest and most accessible of life’s enjoyments.
Still echoes of it on this board with the sneering about London coffee - as if the best we should aspire to is a cup of instant/charred gerbil without accusations of pretentiousness.
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
This also goes for fancy food which we are told is 'good' in expensive establishments like Pretentious a Manger. No Pret, this brie panini isn't good because you've diluted the brie with avocado and sprinkled walnuts on top.
Pret is an amazing business, and does that incredible thing of being a successful U.K. food business in both New York and Paris.
Typical of Brexit thinking to want to do it down.
Also, they’d never put avocado and Brie together. So your grizzle is entirely fictitious.
I had one on Friday because work colleagues wanted to go there for lunch. Wasn't worth the money, and the service was mediocre. Nothing to do with Brexit.
Abominable. Though, no walnuts I note.
True, I misremembered that. Though I certainly have had a nearly-very-good panini from Pret ruined by walnuts and assorted bird food scattered over the top.
Until fairly recently, nice food was seen in England as being slightly effeminate and a bit too French.
I can still break out in a cold sweat about "well done" (cremated) beef, and vegetables boiled to death, which my grandparents generation seemed to enjoy.
I think there was a general view that vegetables were bad for you, unless they were boiled thoroughly grey.
It’s one of the most annoying things about the U.K. that good food is seen as “posh”, as opposed to the simplest and most accessible of life’s enjoyments.
Still echoes of it on this board with the sneering about London coffee - as if the best we should aspire to is a cup of instant/charred gerbil without accusations of pretentiousness.
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
This also goes for fancy food which we are told is 'good' in expensive establishments like Pretentious a Manger. No Pret, this brie panini isn't good because you've diluted the brie with avocado and sprinkled walnuts on top.
Pret is an amazing business, and does that incredible thing of being a successful U.K. food business in both New York and Paris.
Typical of Brexit thinking to want to do it down.
Also, they’d never put avocado and Brie together. So your grizzle is entirely fictitious.
Pret is very nice basic food done well. I won't touch their coffee for all the reasons outlined on here by others concerning Starcostanero but their food is good.
You are wrong.
The chain coffee hierarchy goes
Pret > Cafe Nero > Costa > Starbucks
This is without regard to price, just the quality of the product. Honorary mention to McDonald’s which is surprisingly innoffensive. I haven’t tried the Wetherspoons offer, I wouldn’t be surprised if that were not bad either.
McDonald's chips are delicious, and the coffee is pretty good...usually. It's just a pity that the rest of the business indulges in the grisly business of mass slaughtering cows
Good food is one of the great pleasures of life. If you had tasted my mother's bolognese, mmmm!! - you would not put up with what passes for it here. It is not zealotry. It is wanting to repeat sensuous pleasures.
I dunno, people identify with their tastes in food and music (this is divine, that is crap and you're an idiot if you like it) in a way that they don't nearly so much about, say, literature. I've been fortunate enough to try a very wide range of food both in Britain and abroad, but my standard fare is a Tesco microwaved curry and a can of Coke. I used to feel embarassed about it, but why? They're my tastebuds, I'll do what I like with them.
Pineapple on pizza is good too, especially with anchovies. Basically I like salty food and cold sparkling drinks, while chocolate, cake and indeed any sweet food leaves me cold. Other people prefer something else, that's fine.
Pretty much. It does look to be the common variable - that when the constraints on voting are removed and a freer choice is available, the voters move away from certain parties more easily.
One reason that the existing parties of power will never remove those constraints. Why should they? What's in it for them?
In fairness Osborne did a number of things to help FTBs and to discourage BTLs. The problem is that those who decided BTLs were the way to supplement the meagre returns they were getting on their pension are also Tories by and large. If they have already lost their final salary pension they will feel very hard put upon. The increase in corporate landlords is perhaps a greater concern than the couple with a couple of flats and much harder to push out the market.
For me it's a numbers game, there are 5.5m properties in the private rental sector according to Kent Reliance, spread among just over a million landlords. If we can push two thirds of that into owner occupation we may lose the votes of half a million wealthy landlords, but potentially gain the votes of 4-6m owner occupiers, or at least increase our vote share from the pathetic 25-30% we get at the moment among the target group.
Even among the losers in the landlords that are forced to sell, who are they going to vote for, Corbyn?
"The media is full of speculation about the new European president. Probably within a week the way will be open for the new appointment.
Sadly the Irish Yes vote to the Lisbon Treaty leaves only the Czech government with any power in the situation. The Czech Republic has suffered grievously from invasions and clearly values its sovereignty. It has rejected the US missile defence system and its desire for independence in foreign policy may well lead to a rejection of the Lisbon Treaty. But, should President Vaclav Klaus allow the treaty to pass, the door will be opened to a new president of Europe.
The position is a sort of executive head of the government of Europe. He or she is to be “elected” for two-and-half years and would be allowed to seek re-election for a second term. The president is supposed to operate by consensus to ensure “continuity” in European policy-making. Working almost in parallel will be another new position, that of foreign affairs and security representative.
The European Union has always suffered a serious democratic deficit and the new positions would make the situation even worse. For all the talk of the new leader’s “election,” the situation is more akin to the College of Cardinals electing a new Pope. The 25 heads of government will meet and agree by a majority who the new president will be. Thus, 13 heads of government can elect a president for the entire continent. The European Parliament will have no say, national parliaments will have no say and perish the thought that the people should have any say.
...
...
Post-Lisbon, the European president and the foreign and security representative will have enormous and largely unaccountable powers.
Tony Benn famously described democracy and accountability to a Labour Party conference by advising us to ask three questions of all leaders:
“From where do you derive your authority? In whose interests to do you deliver it? How do we remove you from office?”
I fear in Corbyistan a microwave curry and a can of fizzy pop will be the new fine dining option...of course only one choice of curry, “curry” flavoured...if you are really pushing the boat out, dessert will be a trip to the state owned ice cream shop.
Pretty much. It does look to be the common variable - that when the constraints on voting are removed and a freer choice is available, the voters move away from certain parties more easily.
One reason that the existing parties of power will never remove those constraints. Why should they? What's in it for them?
For the parties - nothing. For the individual MPs quite a lot - they could then find themselves in parties where they belong, not in marriages of convenience with fellow MPs that they have nothing in common with.
Good food is one of the great pleasures of life. If you had tasted my mother's bolognese, mmmm!! - you would not put up with what passes for it here. It is not zealotry. It is wanting to repeat sensuous pleasures.
I dunno, people identify with their tastes in food and music (this is divine, that is crap and you're an idiot if you like it) in a way that they don't nearly so much about, say, literature. I've been fortunate enough to try a very wide range of food both in Britain and abroad, but my standard fare is a Tesco microwaved curry and a can of Coke. I used to feel embarassed about it, but why? They're my tastebuds, I'll do what I like with them.
Pineapple on pizza is good too, especially with anchovies. Basically I like salty food and cold sparkling drinks, while chocolate, cake and indeed any sweet food leaves me cold. Other people prefer something else, that's fine.
You haven't tasted my tomato sauce....half fresh vine/ half tinned plum, onions and carrots...salt and pepper...and then the fun starts...I crush a shedload of garlic, handfuls of chilli flakes and pour in lashings of a quality virgin olive oil sauce...with a tiny little milk added at the end to give it some body.....Grated parmisan, al dente de Cecco Spaghetti...cook it for a minute less than it says on the packet... and washed down with a 15% alcohol full bodied Chianti....
I fear in Corbyistan a microwave curry and a can of fizzy pop will be the new fine dining option...of course only one choice of curry, “curry” flavoured...if you are really pushing the boat out, dessert will be a trip to the state owned ice cream shop.
Most spices are imported - and you wouldn't want to waste valuable foreign currency reserves on making dinner taste slightly better.
I fear in Corbyistan a microwave curry and a can of fizzy pop will be the new fine dining option...of course only one choice of curry, “curry” flavoured...if you are really pushing the boat out, dessert will be a trip to the state owned ice cream shop.
Having a curry will be banned under Corbyn.
A white English person having a curry is a form of cultural appropriation by the imperial nation and her people.
Good food is one of the great pleasures of life. If you had tasted my mother's bolognese, mmmm!! - you would not put up with what passes for it here. It is not zealotry. It is wanting to repeat sensuous pleasures.
I dunno, people identify with their tastes in food and music (this is divine, that is crap and you're an idiot if you like it) in a way that they don't nearly so much about, say, literature. I've been fortunate enough to try a very wide range of food both in Britain and abroad, but my standard fare is a Tesco microwaved curry and a can of Coke. I used to feel embarassed about it, but why? They're my tastebuds, I'll do what I like with them.
Pineapple on pizza is good too, especially with anchovies. Basically I like salty food and cold sparkling drinks, while chocolate, cake and indeed any sweet food leaves me cold. Other people prefer something else, that's fine.
You haven't tasted my tomato sauce....half fresh vine/ half tinned plum, onions and carrots...salt and pepper...and then the fun starts...I crush a shedload of garlic, handfuls of chilli flakes and pour in lashings of a quality virgin olive oil sauce...with a tiny little milk added at the end to give it some body.....Grated parmisan, al dente de Cecco Spaghetti...cook it for a minute less than it says on the packet... and washed down with a 15% alcohol full bodied Chianti....
You can and people usually do hide a multitude of sins with a 15% abv bottle of wine.
I fear in Corbyistan a microwave curry and a can of fizzy pop will be the new fine dining option...of course only one choice of curry, “curry” flavoured...if you are really pushing the boat out, dessert will be a trip to the state owned ice cream shop.
Having a curry will be banned under Corbyn.
A white English person having a curry is a form of cultural appropriation by the imperial nation and her people.
Pretty much. It does look to be the common variable - that when the constraints on voting are removed and a freer choice is available, the voters move away from certain parties more easily.
One reason that the existing parties of power will never remove those constraints. Why should they? What's in it for them?
In France, Germany and Italy it wasn't a great result for the centre-right either.
Three countries had populists (of varying kinds) mixing things up. In the UK we came as close to a two party system as we have managed in ages.
What are all these chains of which you speak? Try setting one of them up in Totnes, and you'll be hounded to the Somerset border by folks with pitchforks and burning brands.
I fear in Corbyistan a microwave curry and a can of fizzy pop will be the new fine dining option...of course only one choice of curry, “curry” flavoured...if you are really pushing the boat out, dessert will be a trip to the state owned ice cream shop.
I really wouldn't mind if we were only are allowed to wear state issued black pyjamas...obviously thicker ones for the winter. It would save me many tortuous hours of trudging around John Lewis and the like carrying my wife's bags....and then spotting at the corner of my eyes equally sad comrades suffering hopelessly in the same way...
Works on similar principles to a cafetiere, but is entirely non-metal, as the inventor claims metal spoils the taste. They even include a plastic scoop, and stirrer.
Of course, on ebay you can buy a metal plate to replace the paper filter, which rather misses the point...
+1
Magical device from the same people who invented the Aerobie flying ring thing. That, together with a subscription to Pact coffee means I rarely buy coffee that I don't make myself.
Mr. Eagles, the joy being an insomniac is that you can have chocolate for supper, safe in the knowledge you'll sleep badly with or without the caffeine.
I fear in Corbyistan a microwave curry and a can of fizzy pop will be the new fine dining option...of course only one choice of curry, “curry” flavoured...if you are really pushing the boat out, dessert will be a trip to the state owned ice cream shop.
Having a curry will be banned under Corbyn.
A white English person having a curry is a form of cultural appropriation by the imperial nation and her people.
Bangers and mash for you.
Veggie bangers of course.....
The only permitted flavour of ice cream is going to be vegan Matcha Green Tea Isn’t it....
I fear in Corbyistan a microwave curry and a can of fizzy pop will be the new fine dining option...of course only one choice of curry, “curry” flavoured...if you are really pushing the boat out, dessert will be a trip to the state owned ice cream shop.
Having a curry will be banned under Corbyn.
A white English person having a curry is a form of cultural appropriation by the imperial nation and her people.
Bangers and mash for you.
Veggie bangers of course.....
Linda Macs veggie sausages are great, sliced down the middle, some fried onions, a good dollop of English mustard, a fried egg ontop and a splash of Encona's hot pepper sauce on some lovely soft homemade unbuttered bread/bap...Washed down with a mug of tea....A really scrummy, lovely sandwich....
no-one needing a mortgage is going to get more than 50% LTV
Blimey. People will be in the shit if that's the case... Do you think nationally or just in London ?
Especially in London, but potentially elsewhere too. If Corbyn gets in and tells the City to Foxtrot Oscar, house prices start appreciably falling, then the banks would have little choice but to respond to it in such a way that they safeguard their own investments. If YoY changes get into the -15-20% range then LTV of 50-60% isn’t unreasonable for a lender.
I fear in Corbyistan a microwave curry and a can of fizzy pop will be the new fine dining option...of course only one choice of curry, “curry” flavoured...if you are really pushing the boat out, dessert will be a trip to the state owned ice cream shop.
Most spices are imported - and you wouldn't want to waste valuable foreign currency reserves on making dinner taste slightly better.
Indeed. And the worst food I’ve ever tasted was in...Cuba.
Until fairly recently, nice food was seen in England as being slightly effeminate and a bit too French.
I can still break out in a cold sweat about "well done" (cremated) beef, and vegetables boiled to death, which my grandparents generation seemed to enjoy.
I think there was a general view that vegetables were bad for you, unless they were boiled thoroughly grey.
It’s one of the most annoying things about the U.K. that good food is seen as “posh”, as opposed to the simplest and most accessible of life’s enjoyments.
Still echoes of it on this board with the sneering about London coffee - as if the best we should aspire to is a cup of instant/charred gerbil without accusations of pretentiousness.
It is all these silly sorts of coffees with all kinds of additions which are the complete opposite of good food or drink, simply made with first class ingredients. Anyone who has tried a really good coffee - which is not hard to make - would recognise the overpriced muck found in places like Starbucks and the rest for what it is - a way of relieving credulous Londoners of their money.
This also goes for fancy food which we are told is 'good' in expensive establishments like Pretentious a Manger. No Pret, this brie panini isn't good because you've diluted the brie with avocado and sprinkled walnuts on top.
Pret is an amazing business, and does that incredible thing of being a successful U.K. food business in both New York and Paris.
Typical of Brexit thinking to want to do it down.
Also, they’d never put avocado and Brie together. So your grizzle is entirely fictitious.
I had one on Friday because work colleagues wanted to go there for lunch. Wasn't worth the money, and the service was mediocre. Nothing to do with Brexit.
My Pret story.
I used to have a chicken, caesar and bacon baguette every day and, after I'd been on holiday for a couple of weeks went to get one for my lunch.
I could barely eat it. Why? Salt; the saltiness was extraordinary. Haven't eaten one since.
There is as everyone knows far too much salt in today's processed food and it will literally be the death of us.
5-4 Lib Dem Majority Sutton looks enormous to my eyes, it has been held by the yellow peril since 1990. Current split is 45 LD - 9 Tories. Remember people vote differently in locals and nationals..
I fear in Corbyistan a microwave curry and a can of fizzy pop will be the new fine dining option...of course only one choice of curry, “curry” flavoured...if you are really pushing the boat out, dessert will be a trip to the state owned ice cream shop.
Most spices are imported - and you wouldn't want to waste valuable foreign currency reserves on making dinner taste slightly better.
Indeed. And the worst food I’ve ever tasted was in...Cuba.
I watched a fascinating short the other day on how a Cuban gets internet access. The legal way is where you have to buy a scratch card, which gives you 1hr of WiFi at a small number of state locations or there is an illegal intranet of miles of Ethernet cables / WiFi routers spanning roof tops.
It is nothing to do with available bandwidth, they have a massive undersea cable linked to main land South America.
5-4 Lib Dem Majority Sutton looks enormous to my eyes, it has been held by the yellow peril since 1990. Current split is 45 LD - 9 Tories. Remember people vote differently in locals and nationals..
Pretty much. It does look to be the common variable - that when the constraints on voting are removed and a freer choice is available, the voters move away from certain parties more easily.
One reason that the existing parties of power will never remove those constraints. Why should they? What's in it for them?
For the parties - nothing. For the individual MPs quite a lot - they could then find themselves in parties where they belong, not in marriages of convenience with fellow MPs that they have nothing in common with.
I'd like to believe that would make a difference, but I suspect the parties have more power and incentive than the individual MPs in this. Each MP wants to hang on to his/her job, and while they might prefer to be in a more ideologically friendly environment, they'd all fear losing their seats under a proportional system. Loss aversion is a very powerful heuristic.
I fear in Corbyistan a microwave curry and a can of fizzy pop will be the new fine dining option...of course only one choice of curry, “curry” flavoured...if you are really pushing the boat out, dessert will be a trip to the state owned ice cream shop.
I really wouldn't mind if we were only are allowed to wear state issued black pyjamas...obviously thicker ones for the winter. It would save me many tortuous hours of trudging around John Lewis and the like carrying my wife's bags....and then spotting at the corner of my eyes equally sad comrades suffering hopelessly in the same way...
Come to Dubai my friend. They have a shoppping centre here with a John Lewis and an Ikea - and a Hard Rock Cafe. On a Saturday, the HRC is known locally as the husband crèche, my deal is always that I’ll drive to the mall, she’ll drive back and I’ll buy lunch...
By far the biggest demographic problem the Tories have going forward is the significant reduction in home ownership in the young. These should be the tory voters of the future but they are well pissed off that they are not being allowed on the housing ladder. Our SoS for Housing was on R4 this morning promising 350k new houses a year. Seems quite optimistic but it is really important for the Tories going forward that the vast bulk of those are home owners.
The problem is landlords. There is real anger among my friends that a third of their post tax wages get spent paying rent to private landlords. The government must continue to force them out of the housing market and at the same time make it easier for FTBs. Until at least two thirds of houses in the private rental market are returned to owner occupation the Tories will struggle to win in the 24-40 year old bracket.
We are seen as the party who stand up for landlords, not the party who want to get young people onto the property ladder. We must change that notion by whatever means necessary even if it means a 5% annual stamp duty on second homes etc...
Plese remind m... How many BTL houses does our current SOS for Housing own pèrsonally?
5-4 Lib Dem Majority Sutton looks enormous to my eyes, it has been held by the yellow peril since 1990. Current split is 45 LD - 9 Tories. Remember people vote differently in locals and nationals..
I've been allowed £40, 'boosted' to 27-20.
It's all up presumably
Yep, but it was all up in 2014 too ! The Lib Dems have at least stabilised in SW London since then, and can afford to lose up to 18 councillors before the bet fails...
5-4 Lib Dem Majority Sutton looks enormous to my eyes, it has been held by the yellow peril since 1990. Current split is 45 LD - 9 Tories. Remember people vote differently in locals and nationals..
As an aside, my own suspicions on the F1, at this very early stage, is that the Alonso bet shan't be coming off, the Bottas bet (backed each way to win the title, so winning in the top 3) may very well come off, and the Red Bull Constructors small bet is uncertain but not impossible.
Works on similar principles to a cafetiere, but is entirely non-metal, as the inventor claims metal spoils the taste. They even include a plastic scoop, and stirrer.
Of course, on ebay you can buy a metal plate to replace the paper filter, which rather misses the point...
Interesting, but I have used a cafetiere for years and it is fine, no problems with taste. Also, no filters are required. My £6 cafetiere will last a while yet whereas plastic that gets repeatedly heated becomes brittle over time.
Boring but true fact: coffee contains terpenes which massively elevate LDL cholesterol, but which are eliminated by paper filters. I like coffee out of Bialettis, but feel constrained to use a filter for this reason.
Comments
We lack the basic, grandma-cooking option: cheap but excellent. Most pubs just offer a range of fried bleugh.
I cannot bear milk or sugar in coffee or tea, both just subterfuges for people who do not like coffee or tea but feel obliged to drink them. A cappuccino in itself is such an abortion that it's hard to think that chocolate makes much difference.
There are 19 wards in the Borough of Eastleigh represented by 44 councillors.
Liberal Democrat – 33
Conservative – 6
Independent Group – 5
On topic, Ladbrokes have Labour at 5-1 on to win a majority in Barnet, and the Conservatives 2-7. Those are daft odds. Labour are no more than slight favourites.
Typical of Brexit thinking to want to do it down.
Also, they’d never put avocado and Brie together. So your grizzle is entirely fictitious.
http://www.aeropress.co.uk/
Works on similar principles to a cafetiere, but is entirely non-metal, as the inventor claims metal spoils the taste. They even include a plastic scoop, and stirrer.
Of course, on ebay you can buy a metal plate to replace the paper filter, which rather misses the point...
To clarify, the reason Dombret changed his mind was that he didn't rate the chances of getting a workable cross-border arrangement. Whether that was the fault of the UK being inflexible or fellow EU members wanting to grab part of the UK financial services pie, or for technical reasons wasn't clear.
What a disappointment.*
*the food, not the movie.
We are seen as the party who stand up for landlords, not the party who want to get young people onto the property ladder. We must change that notion by whatever means necessary even if it means a 5% annual stamp duty on second homes etc...
This classic recipe combines beautifully ripe French brie, freshly sliced avocado, sweet roasted tomatoes and fresh basil. Simple and delicious."
Yes they do and it sounds like an awful combo. But agree that Pret is a decent cafe, prefer it to the other high street brands in London.
Mrs C, well, I prefer an elliptical plate of electrum, to be honest, but otherwise you're quite right.
I once saw the owner vigorously picking his nose while making the sandwiches and never returned.
The chain coffee hierarchy goes
Pret > Cafe Nero > Costa > Starbucks
This is without regard to price, just the quality of the product. Honorary mention to McDonald’s which is surprisingly innoffensive. I haven’t tried the Wetherspoons offer, I wouldn’t be surprised if that were not bad either.
(Or tea.)
I had one on Friday because work colleagues wanted to go there for lunch. Wasn't worth the money, and the service was mediocre. Nothing to do with Brexit.
Which is why he pointed it out and I'm inclined to agree. Still, it's far too late for that, the government took a position and there's no chance of changing it now.
As for moving the banks, people have predicted doom and gloom for Switzerland's financial sector for at least 20 years, it's always been London or Frankfurt (usually the latter) that will come and take our business away. Well it's still here and stronger than ever. I think the EU are trying again to steal Switzerland's money markets but it will come to nothing again, just as it will with London.
That would just be unfair wouldn't it?
Pineapple on pizza is good too, especially with anchovies. Basically I like salty food and cold sparkling drinks, while chocolate, cake and indeed any sweet food leaves me cold. Other people prefer something else, that's fine.
Am about to go and have a cup right now for that matter.
1) Live and let live. Different people like different things.
2) Starbucks have the worst coffee and the best seats. If taken there, green tea will do.
3) Pret's baguettes are made with bread that is far too soggy for me.
4) Subway's fare seems all but inedible to me, but apparently massively oversalted produce has a market.
5) I am in awe of the so-called gourmet burger market, where the prices aren't remotely justified by the produce. Mind you, I remember enjoying having Five Guys for the first time.
6) A well-made kebab is both healthier and tastier than any of the above, in my view.
7) I'm quite enjoying Vital's work at present.
McDonald's chips are delicious, and the coffee is pretty good...usually. It's just a pity that the rest of the business indulges in the grisly business of mass slaughtering cows
It does look to be the common variable - that when the constraints on voting are removed and a freer choice is available, the voters move away from certain parties more easily.
One reason that the existing parties of power will never remove those constraints. Why should they? What's in it for them?
Even among the losers in the landlords that are forced to sell, who are they going to vote for, Corbyn?
For the individual MPs quite a lot - they could then find themselves in parties where they belong, not in marriages of convenience with fellow MPs that they have nothing in common with.
You haven't tasted my tomato sauce....half fresh vine/ half tinned plum, onions and carrots...salt and pepper...and then the fun starts...I crush a shedload of garlic, handfuls of chilli flakes and pour in lashings of a quality virgin olive oil sauce...with a tiny little milk added at the end to give it some body.....Grated parmisan, al dente de Cecco Spaghetti...cook it for a minute less than it says on the packet... and washed down with a 15% alcohol full bodied Chianti....
Good coffee and good food. Only available in The North.
A white English person having a curry is a form of cultural appropriation by the imperial nation and her people.
Bangers and mash for you.
Laithwaites' list is full of them.
Three countries had populists (of varying kinds) mixing things up. In the UK we came as close to a two party system as we have managed in ages.
I'm such a rebel plus the fact caffeine keeps me awake at night.
Magical device from the same people who invented the Aerobie flying ring thing. That, together with a subscription to Pact coffee means I rarely buy coffee that I don't make myself.
I used to have a chicken, caesar and bacon baguette every day and, after I'd been on holiday for a couple of weeks went to get one for my lunch.
I could barely eat it. Why? Salt; the saltiness was extraordinary. Haven't eaten one since.
There is as everyone knows far too much salt in today's processed food and it will literally be the death of us.
"Big thaw leaves thousands without water"
Surely should be:
"Big thaw leaves thousands without snow"?
Oh, and of course they've used that imaginative phrase "Big thaw".
5-4 Lib Dem Majority Sutton looks enormous to my eyes, it has been held by the yellow peril since 1990. Current split is 45 LD - 9 Tories. Remember people vote differently in locals and nationals..
I've been allowed £40, 'boosted' to 27-20.
It is nothing to do with available bandwidth, they have a massive undersea cable linked to main land South America.
https://twitter.com/thomasknox/status/970686706096791553
https://twitter.com/GuidoFawkes/status/970693785989599232
The Lib Dems have at least stabilised in SW London since then, and can afford to lose up to 18 councillors before the bet fails...
As an aside, my own suspicions on the F1, at this very early stage, is that the Alonso bet shan't be coming off, the Bottas bet (backed each way to win the title, so winning in the top 3) may very well come off, and the Red Bull Constructors small bet is uncertain but not impossible.
The second test begins tomorrow.