FULL ENGLISH DESIGN 1

A BRACING WALK, THEN AFTERNOON TEA

Some charming gems of British commercial art from a time before globalisation spread blandness took over & everything didnt have to be cool,trendy or designed by focus group for worldwide consumption.

Artist Ray Tooby illustrated many a poster & guide book for London transport from the 30s to the 60s. Here he turns the underground logo into the heads of a gent & his dog out for a bracing winter walk & below into one of those seats you used to see around mature trees.These drawings from a London underground guide from 1963.

Tea blenders Jacksons of Piccadilly these days have suitably abstract packs, but i found these elegant & remarkably English looking tagged tea bag envelopes. The design has a early 1950s feel but these were still being sold into the 80s - nice!

COMFORT FOOD 1

Hot,quick,comforting,cheap-a comfort food superstar! I made it at school recently - the kids hadnt a clue, but the teachers loved it, i even got asked for the recipe! Difficult it aint..but its incredibly adaptable - heres some of my hash faves.

Heres my mams recipe,in Cumbria we ate a lot of hash! Its called 'Fatherless' due to its extreme cheapness & so eaten by one parent families & orphans (?)! Usually it was just potato & onion but if there was a little money around, corned beef or more usually bacon was added.

1: Melt a knob of butter over a medium heat.

2: Add a large chopped onion & fry until softened.

3: Add 4 roughly chopped potatoes & a large pinch of thyme.

4: Stir up,add enough veg stock to not quite cover.

5: Bring to boil,turn down heat & simmer for 15-20 mins.

6: Crush the potatoes a bit to thicken the remaining stock.

7: Chop corned beef,add to potato mixture.

8: Stir,try not to break up the meat too much,cook an extra 5 mins.

9: Check if you need salt & pepper.

Its ready to serve! However you can top with the following for a more delicious hash:

Grated cheddar cheese-grill til brown & bubbly.

Fried or poached eggs.

Crispy fried potato cubes.

This is great made with smokey bacon too-add this at the start with the onion.

To make this even trashier use sliced frankfurters or hotdogs instead of the corned beef!

 

1:In a non stick pan fry a chopped onion in oil until soft.

2: Add 3 sliced cooked potatoes-stir.

3: Add corned beef or hotdogs.

4: Cook on a highish heat,pressing down with a spatula,allow the bottom to brown.

5: Turn sections of the hash over to let them brown too.

6: Turn heat down,cover & cook 10 mins.

7: Add a can of baked beans,stir & heat through.

8: Crush a bag of crisps,mix with a couple of handfuls of grated cheese.

9: Top the hash with this mixture,grill until golden brown. 

Cold & crisp dill gherkins are trashily fab with this!

A top breakfast served with eggs & grilled tomatoes,make them the day before & reheat.



1: Cut 4 potatoes in half,boil for 11 minutes & cool.

2: Grate the potatoes into a mixing bowl,add a grated onion.

3: As the potatoes were not fully cooked the mix should be quite sticky.

4: Chop the corned beef,add to the mix with black pepper & salt to taste.

5: Stir until the mixture comes together.

6: Wet your hands & form into cakes,as big or small as you like. 

7: Fry in hot oil about 3 mins each side until nicely brown.

Yum! These are also nice for lunch with a bramley apple sauce.

MY FIRST LOVE

MY FIRST LOVE - CAKE!

Have a happy Valentines day

CHOCS AWAY!

Its half term! Heres a game to download to keep the kids quiet when theyre fed up with wii & bored with xbox...all you need is a dice,egg cup & for counters-some buttons...hey why not use Cadburys chocolate buttons!! No harm in stocking up on chocolate for half term & for that matter gin,tonics,wine & beer!

Mmm..Update its somewhere in Poland now innit?