Latest Moan From You and Me 2024

Our chippy is still just a chippy - about the most exotic thing they sell is a battered sausage.

 

Carveries are the pits. Like queueing up for school dinner. Prefer my roast at home. And who would go out for a pizza? We only go out for a curry. Lots of those round here. And they are good value for money.

Our chip shop sells English curry sauce, but it's rather gloopy. Also saveloy and doner kebabs.

 

I must have a very sheltered life again never bought a meal from outside of our house the only thing we buy is the shoping once a week, don't have anything delivered as well,

Do you think i must get out more, but i like being a hermit

 

Round here, the bloke on a bicycle delivering take-aways seems to be out and about at breakfast time. I assumed he was dropping off cornflakes and croissants, but maybe it's Big Macs.

I have never had a take-away delivered. I prefer my food fresh out of the oven.

 

I had a Chinese thowaway once, but everything was sticky and covered in some kind of sweet stuff.
It went in the bin.

 

Pie and mash shop? Never partaken myself.
Fancied fish and chips the other day and realised the local chippies had all gone. (You don't use it you lose it)
I've noticed some nice crispy, puffy looking cod being carried past in the local pub - but it's pretty expensive. Made my bag of crisps look - insufficient.

 

Neither did I, @pete. In fact, there are a lot of things going badly wrong with this country On the bright side, the best fish 'n' chips I've ever eaten are available in Eymet on Thursdays

 

@noisette47 There are two small restaurants open in the nearby town (all of 3,500 people) selling French food but only open at lunchtime tho one opens a bit earlier for coffee and croissants. We tried one the year we week we signed the contracts for the house but haven't been back. There's also a tapas/cocktail place we've never tried and a pizzeria/grill we've eaten at about 3 times in 8 years. The pizzas are very French so I stick with savoury galettes.

There's a Michelin wannabe restaurant about 15 mins away that is excellent but pricey so is reserved for special celebrations and then, along the coastal resorts 20+kms away there's a wide variety of restaurants doing fish, seafood, steaks etc and all very French in style. Many are only open in the season. There are some OK restaurants in La Roche-s-Y, one or two playing with a few spices but very subtle and a couple of Michelin * that we haven't tried.

Plenty of places do fish and chips but I usually prefer moules frites.

Frankly, I enjoy cooking and it's always cheaper and probably healthier at home and I use recipes from a wide range of cuisines and like to try new ones. We never go to ethnic restaurants this side of Dover as they've been Frenchified and the only take-away available is a pizza in July and August when the tourists and second homers are here.

 

I enjoy cooking too, but one of the greatest pleasures in France used to be the abundance of restaurants, often small, family-run affairs, open midi et soir. We have a restaurant in the village which is pretty typical of how restauration is going nowadays. Young couple, he's a fantastic chef, she serves. They started out well....nice menus with a mix of traditional and 'modern'. Then they decided to cut evening opening to Friday and Saturday. Not a very sensible decision in an area swarming with Brits who prefer to eat in the evening and who have lots of visitors! Then they decided that Friday evenings would be just pizzas (despîte a pizza van doing a brisk trade every Thursday evening). Then they stopped opening at all in the evenings, pleading 'we want to enjoy ourselves while we're young' . Eeerrmm....right, but perhaps running a resto isn't the ideal career choice?
Now they're complaining that the midi trade isn't enough for the business to remain viable.
Same story with the village bar....young couple take over and promptly cut the opening hours by 60% then complain that they don't have enough custom! It's exactly the same syndrome that's causing the medical desertification, and that's infinitely more serious than losing restaurants

 

Our local fish and chip shop is superb. One average portion of fish will not fit on our largest plates, and is enough for two. The smallest portion of chips is enough for four or five. I have a good appetite, but I can't eat even half a portion, let alone a full one.
The batter is light, and the chips are neither soggy or too crispy.
Perfect!!
We learned the day we moved in, about them. We had two portions of fish and chips. If only there was a way of keeping the quality until breakfast the following morning. If anyone finds a way, please let me know.

 

Here in Torbay a number of decent restaurants only open Wednesday to Saturday, even some of the pubs, takeaways and chippies are closed Mondays out of season.

 

I think that is why all the English places went by the board, they only wanted to open certain hours, whereas those of a more ethnic type will work up to very late from mid morning, same reason they have taken over all the corner shops.
"Open all hours" is not exactly something you average English shop keeper wants to do these days.
It died out with Ronnie Barker.

 

@!!***&§§§***!! Guess who broke her own golden rule today, of always squeezing the fingers of gardening gloves before donning them? In case a wasp is lurking in them. There was and I didn't It was a queen looking to overwinter by the feel of the jab. Not had such a painful sting for a long time...even vinegar and ice aren't having much effect