Meat run this morning. Hard to know when to go. There is going to be a queue. Ribs of beef, turkey breast or crown, back and streaky bacon and spicy Lincolnshire farmhouse sausages. Ham maybe. I like to cook a ham but we will already have a lot of food in. See how it goes.
Might go before breakfast.
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Meat run lasted the 3 mins it took to drive there and 3 mins back. Mahoosive queue around the corner and down the road towards the Dog and Duck and nowhere to park. I’ll go back later when I’ll be more amenable to queuing.
At home, pancakes are being prepared in the kitchen. Our John is short order chef for the day. I have requested a side of streaky bacon with mine. Maple syrup and berries. Fair play to him.
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I must say the pancakes were great. A fresh pot of tea is now a brewing. The kitchen is getting busier. Busyness. Busy busy busy.
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At some stage I’m going to have to psych meself up to going to the butchers again. I’m afraid I’ll just have to queue. Finding a parking spot is more of an issue. Also have stuffing to finish off. Like to get some of these jobs done well in advance. Mind you tomorrow is Christmas Eve so it isn’t that far in advance now.
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Meat queue from arriving to getting back in car was 35 mins. Could have been worse. They had at least ten people working in the butchers. Back home we kissed goodbye to my sister Sue who was up for the Morning Star carol session and I set to making the stuffing.
I have to say the stuffing is looking great: one rubbishy white loaf chopped into small bits, a few white onions ditto, chopped dried apricots, fresh sage, rosemary and thyme, chopped smoked back and unsmoked streaky bacon (whatever we had handy) and a wodge of butter chopped into small chunks. Forgot to put pepper in bit it won’t matter. Can still add some on the day.
We are mainly having beef and the turkey is just a smallish bit of breast for those who look upon it as traditional on the day so there is nothing to stuff. However we all like stuffing and I imagine everyone will have a slice of turkey to justify it.
Normally I make the pigs in blankets myself but the packs of premade ones in Fosters looked good so I bought a couple and cut down on the sausage and streaky bacon order (not much).
So today I have a titchy bit of shopping to do for that someone special but otherwise fairly chilled afternoon ahead of me. Festivities are mostly over and from our on it is all about family. Those of them who aren’t out on the lash with their old school chums anyway which could be a majority 🙂 It is no different to when I used to go home to the Isle of Man at Christmas. Everyone would be back so you would be out most nights in Douglas, or The Crosby which was the nearest pub to our house a mile and a half walk away.
Coming home from The Crosby was always an interesting experience. The first part was along the main road/TT Course but the second half was up a back lane with no lights. The only way of not veering off the road in the pitch darkness was to walk up the middle where you could feel the camber on either side. As you got nearer the entrance to Ballagarey Road lights started to appear so it was all ok from there on.
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My god. Waitrose. Cars queueing to get in, mainly because of having to wait for other cars to reverse out n stuff like that. I got the last trolley and one of the few remaining scanners. Did get everything I needed this pm but the queue for the self scanner checkout was halfway down aisle 5!! Apaz it was worse if you didn’t do self scan.
Reminds me of the queues for NYE at the millennium. In those days scanners were new. The queues at the checkout stretched down two aisle halves for each till. In other words to the back of the shop. There were no queues for the self scanners. Defo made me a bit smug.
Anyways back to an empty house and some chill time. No wait I need to check we have fondue fuel!