Experiment, week 13. This week’s five things which have made me happy or for which I’m grateful.
- Green Woodpecker. I’ve always been one for watching the birds — both feathered and primate varieties. One of the feathered type which I’ve always liked but seldom seen is the Green Woodpecker, colloquially know as a Yaffle from its laughing call. I’m lucky as I now see them irregularly but several times a year going through the garden. We had one hunting for food in the snow earlier this week. They’re extremely handsome.
- Fresh Snow. I don’t know why, but there is always something slightly romantic about seeing snow fall and fresh, virgin snow on the ground.
- Baked Ham. I love home cooked, succulent ham. However I tend to avoid buying gammon joints as these days I consider gammon lacks flavour and has always been over-priced. When I can get one I buy a smoked collar joint. Collar as a cut is greatly under-rated. Collar rashers are larger and for my money much better value than the ubiquitous back bacon. Even better, if you can get it, is a large collar joint; it makes an excellent ham. (Waitrose normally have collar joints but they are mostly too small; you really need one about 1.5 Kilos — that’s the size they should be if the pig has been grown fully.) Noreen has a great way of cooking it in a plain flour and water (huff) pastry case which you discard afterwards. Eaten hot with roast or jacket potatoes, veg of choice and parsley or mushroom sauce it is great comfort food. Or eat it cold with salad, or mash and pickles, or between bread.
- Redwings (right) and Fieldfares (below right). These two birds are both members of the thrush family which we don’t see regularly in gardens in the UK. They are birds of open countryside where they gather in mixed flocks. They are winter visitors to the UK and only come to gardens in the hardest of weather. So we’ve had a few around over the last few days and this morning there was a mixed band of at least 60 birds sitting in our silver birch trees.
Lovely to see.
- Fish & Chips. Yesterday we had the quarterly Anthony Powell Society London pub meet at the Audley in Mayfair. This is always a convivial and informal occasion where we enjoy good beer, good pub food, good company and interesting chat. I try not to eat much fish unless I know it is farmed or sustainably caught, but the Audley’s fish and chips is an exception: it is always good and a popular choice amongst the regulars at the pub meet. More comfort food!
