People were eating breakfast at McDonalds twenty five or so years ago.  A big treat for them (apparently).  'Sunday lunch' then became a big thing: slices of roast meat, potatoes, vegetables and gravy all congealing under heat lamps.  My wife, a vegetarian since her teens, found herself short-changed.  She'd be fobbed off with Stilton and broccoli bake, sometimes just a plate of overcooked veg.  We soon knocked that on the head. 
As for cooking, Robbie, you're more or less right: our next door neighbours have been living on Cook-In-Sauces-From-A-Jar for years.  Complete garbage. 
My father, after very wisely divorcing my mother in 1973, learned to cook great French food. 
TRS sometimes mentions good authors.  My recommendation is a copy of Sonia Allison's book, which covers food from more or less every European country.
Anyone visiting Lincoln should search out 'Crust'.  Eccentric.

‘I still recall fondly the first pizza I ever ate: at a seaside town in Liguria, 1971. ‘

I had a lovely big pizza in Montreux, Switzerland in 1968,

In 1970 my brother and I hitch hiked around Italy. We lived on rolls with Kraft cheese slices and pasta with tomato sauce in the hostels. The treats were peaches, an expensive foreign fruit to us, cheap wine and pizza straight from the oven. On return to England I attempted to make my own pizzas. I got the mozzarella and all the other ingredients but I did not have a wood-fired pizza oven. I also remember the first take away pizzas in the UK.My girlfriend at the time had just moved to Milton Keynes, a town that was often an early adopter. We just drove to the
pizza place. Dialling for a pizza would have never occurred to us.

Last edited by Kingston1an (2022-06-04 12:07:43)

‘Ireland is known for being a gastronomic black hole’

Maybe, but childhood holidays digging the spuds for a meal, water from the well and homemade soda bread are fond memories.

I still absolutely love Galtee processed cheese out of the box, but not the milder Calvita. There are also a host of sickly sweet marshmallow, jam and E-number biscuits from Jacobs , Kimberley etc. I can only eat one or two at a time nowadays.

We were treated to peaches on that first holiday by a very friendly Italian.  He seemed to like the English very much.  I'd just taken my Eleven Plus and was overwhelmed by Italy.  The year before we'd been camping in Tenby with our mongrel, no doubt eating eggs and bacon and soggy cornflakes.  I've adored Italy ever since.  Adored it.  Except Florence.

^ That brought a smile to my face on this slightly overcast Sunday morning.
That chap has a finger in every pie.
Will walk on a particular park this morning.  An Iron Age track runs through it.  It also once, in a corner, had a railway line or two.  The cast iron railway bridge, by Handyside And Co., is still in place.  The Romans were on either side of the River Derwent.  First a fort on one bank, then a large camp on the other.  Research shows it to have been the southernmost outpost of Hadrian's Wall.

We expect an invite very, very soon, Robbie!
I still recall with great pleasure my very first pizza, eaten on holiday in Liguria, summer 1971.

Hoping to get to Lichfield mid-week next week.  Strong Johnson associations, needless to say (although the inhabitants failed to recognise him when he visited as an adult).  Erasmus Darwin also lived there, in a huge Georgian pile (not always my cup of tea when it comes to architecture.  I prefer the so-called 'Queen Anne' era).  It has a wonderful herb garden, alive with bees, butterflies; very restful. 
There was a decent Italian restaurant, pre-Covid, open at lunchtime, run by two brothers from near Naples and assisted by the kind of beautiful Polish girl TRS likes so much.  A knock-out, this one.

I visited Chiltern Street and surrounding areas. Surprised how busy the streets and pavement cafes were. After shopping in J Simons I decided to leg it back to Essex before I spent all my money.
I used to like the shop Skandium in that area but it disappeared 3 years ago having gone into liquidation apparently. The shop is now a Swedish clothing company

^ RobbieB

Chiltern Street for a coffee and sandwich is superb. I found myself there one Monday when John's was closed. It was the first time I'd ever not rushed through there quickly.
Lunch at The Monocle cafe was really enjoyable and then visited the International news stand a few doors down.
Trunk is always worth mooching at. Whilst the fit on the majority of their stuff is too fashion forward there is the occasional thing worth considering. Obviously not to purchase until Sale time.

Thames Festival being held throughout September including walks around Rotherhithe and the Mayflower pub. I hope to get back to UK and attend some of the events being held to celebrate the river Thames

Open House London is on soon. Some really good options in the past when it was limited to a single weekend and there was a free booklet listing attractions geographically by Borough.

https://www.visitlondon.com/things-to-do/event/8823142-open-house-london

South London used to be really grim near the river in Victorian times. Streets with no sunlight wedged in between factories etc.

Last edited by Kingston1an (2022-08-28 04:11:39)

Kingy - you are having a suspicious amount of good luck in finding discarded cash in West London? Have you got some racket going? The Ivy Fagin? And then you blow it all on a pint and a pie in Wetherspoons... Pure decadence. Wonder how Andy's doing? Dead round here isn't it?

I purchased a set of maps called ‘Perambulations’ published by the modernist architecture queen Steffi Orazi which set out walks around areas of London where buildings of note are to be found. I can highly recommend them as an ideal accessory for the dedicated flaneur. Today I had a little run out to Blackheath and spent a couple of hours wandering around the Cator Estate, a large network of private roads lined by imposing Victorian residences put up for the gentry, but around every corner are inspired 1960s housing developments designed by Span Developments and notable architects of the time. The whole area is like a hidden world. How annoyed those posh people must have been to have all those ordinary folk moving into their enclave of privilege. Of course they’re all millionaire pads now. Blackheath Village itself is yuppyfied beyond the pale with nothing there for ordinary people in the way of shops or pubs. So I hotfooted it back to Victoria station where I identified a welcoming branch of Wetherspoons to obtain suitable refreshment. Unfortunately I didn’t spot any cash blowing around on the platform to finance my supping.

Last edited by FlatSixC (2022-08-30 04:19:49)