Category Archives: Food and drink

Greetings from Greece (part 2).

16 Sunday Oct 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Greece, Photography, Travel

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We’ve been having a lazy few days here in Lardos. Partly because we can (we’re on holiday after all) and partly because these past few days we’ve had a dramatic change in the weather. Yesterday (Saturday) the sunshine was overwhelmed by an amazing thunder and lightning storm accompanied by torrential rain that had been making its way Eastwards across the Mediterranean before arriving in our neck of the woods in the Aegean. We managed a pleasant few hours by the hotel pool, reading and sunbathing before the skies darkened, the temperature dropped and the wind got up. I’m used to tropical storms, having seen plenty of them in South-East Asia. But this is the first time I’ve experienced something similar in this neck of the woods. It was spectacular to say the least. The sky was as black as Hades and the rain was torrential. We sought shelter in the bar downstairs where we could watch the show without getting soaked and enjoy a drink in the process. My only regret was I never managed to catch any of the amazing lightning strikes out at sea on camera – try as I might. Even so, here’s a few pictures from yesterday’s entertainment.

Skies as black as Hades yesterday as the storm swept in from the West.
Pomegranate growing on a tree outside the local supermarket. You don’t get this at Tesco!
If Pomegranates aren’t your thing, there’s always Olives…

The storm stayed with us overnight and into today, although we had a respite this morning that allowed us to catch some sun before walking up into the village for coffee, chance to watch the world go by and stock up on shopping before the skies darkened once again and we found ourselves indulging in a brisk walk home to escape the oncoming storm. At the time of writing (mid afternoon) we’ve escaped the worst of the stormfront although the rain’s keeping most people indoors bar one hardy family who’ve decided this is a good time to have the swimming pool to yourselves. Besides, if you’re in a pool, why would you mind about some rain?

Sitting outside a lovely little Greek coffee shop, looking over at the local supermarket, then spotting the sky and thinking “perhaps it’s time to shop and go walk home, before this sky catches up with us”!

Dee and I have decided it’s time to retreat to our room and enjoy downtime. Well, not *entirely* downtime for me as I’ve a RAIL article that needs to be finished. I can think of worse places to be stuck scribbling!

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

21st August picture of the day…

21 Sunday Aug 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

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The lull before storm…

All three of us had a lie-in this morning. Well, until ‘Bernie’ (our friends dog) decided it needed to go out for a wee at 07:30 this morning which meant I was woken up by being slobbered over as a way of attracting our attention! I’d agreed to take the short straw so Dee could sleep in. What I hadn’t bargained for was letting Bernie out of the back door – only to find one of our neighbour’s cats sat on the doorstep. I don’t know who was more startled, Bernie, me or poor Popi – who took off like a bat out of hell! Luckily, I’d kept Bernie on her lead so there was no cartoon-like hot pursuit.

The excitement over we returned to a much calmer Sunday. Dawn returned Bernie to her owners (who were still recovering from their night out) whilst I pottered around at home, sorting out the final logistics for my week away before retreating to the kitchen to enjoy my last opportunity to indulge in some cooking for some time. I really enjoy the ritual of preparing the ingredients and laying them out before beginning the process of turning the raw ingredients into a meal. I was cooking Indian today so now the the cottage is filled with the smells of exotic spices. The dish I’ve made includes freshly roasted and powdered Fenugreek seeds along with Cloves, Cinnamon, Star Anise and Cumin powder. The mélange of fragrances is wonderful especially as the final product contains the tang of White Wine Vinegar which hangs in the air and complements the spices.

Now it’s time to kick back and enjoy the late afternoon sunshine and our evening together so I’ll end the blog here. Expect a series of rolling blogs over the next eight days – although they won’t be a complete commentary on my trip as I’m writing for a magazine. If you want to read the full details they’ll be published in a series of three articles in RAIL magazine starting in October. Despite that, I hope to keep you entertained as I take over 80 trains around the UK to explore many familiar destinations plus some I’ve not visited for decades – plus one of the last extremities of the UK rail network I’ve never managed to reach before…

So, today’s picture is cooking therapy. In this case, Chicken Vindail. Here’s the ingredients prepared for cooking.

17th August picture of the day…

17 Wednesday Aug 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

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It’s another short blog from me tonight as this is the second evening in a row where we’ve been sociable – and it’s only Wednesday! The day started as normal with the pair of us working from home which was no bad thing after yesterday’s heavy rains. The downpours reduced the daytime temperatures to a comfortable level that was more conducive to working – another bonus. Even so, we’ve had such a rainfall deficit this year our local reservoirs are at paltry levels I’ve never seen in all the 12 years I’ve lived in West Yorkshire. There’s a lot I could say about this situation, but it would involve an awful lot of political spleen-venting and four letter words so I’ll leave it for another blog when I can’t hold the torrent back any longer.

I finished work early today as a couple of old friends who’ve decamped from Yorkshire to Devon have made a temporary return and pitched their caravan up the road in Cragg Vale where we joined them for a few hours this evening. Just up the road is one of our favourite pubs and fantastic community resource – the Robin Hood Inn which is where we booked a table for a meal after a few drinks. They weren’t offering a full menu due to the fact they were still recovering from a big local event (Craggfest). Even so, the food they were serving was excellent and the portions humongous. I ordered the pork with stuffing and Yorkshire puddings and really struggled to finish it as we also had lashings of fresh veg as an accompaniment. So, this picture of the day is food based…

Having bid adieu to our friends the pair of us are now back at home and letting our digestive tracts work their way through such a mid-week feast.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

Diverting times…

13 Saturday Aug 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Halifax, Photography, Railways, Travel, West Yorkshire

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We’ve had another hot and sunny day here in the Calder valley which prompted me to venture out with the camera as on Saturdays Trans-Pennine Express trains are diverted from their usual route and traverse the Calder valley. I’ve been meaning to do this for a while but as Dawn had to work this morning this gave me the excuse I needed. I’ll be documenting the diversions at several locations over the coming months but as I only had a few hours today I headed over to Todmorden as I could swap between a couple of locations quickly.

Here’s a few examples.

185126 (rear) and 185138 speed through Todmorden station whilst working 1P71, the 11:02 Manchester Victoria to Darlington.
802206 passes Hall Royd Junction just outside Todmorden whilst working 9M20, the 09:47 Newcastle to Liverpool Lime Street. This is the junction for the line to Blackburn which is off to the left.
802217 approaches Todmorden station working 1P25, the 1154 Liverpool Lime Street to Newcastle.

There’s plenty of other pictures to be added to my Zenfolio website later, but these give you a flavour of what the day was like. On another day I would’ve stayed longer but I was keen to tear Dawn away from her computer, so the two of us arranged to meet up in Halifax for a wander and a couple of drinks.

I have to say I was amazed at just how busy Halifax was and what fun people were having. The Piece Hall was as stunning as ever. Right now the courtyard hosts a roller-skating rink which is proving to be very popular. What was equally popular was the nearby Westgate Arcade which hosts a variety of bars, cafes and restaurants. The covered seating area was jam-packed and the crowds were being entertained by a swing band and dancers who were performing nearby. The town’s really come on as a place to go to in recent years and it’s lovely to see. Here’s a few pictures to give a flavour.

The stunning Piece Hall
Life in the Westgate Arcade
Our final stop was in the ‘Meandering Bear’ which always has a great selection of beers on offer at prices that surprise many Southerners.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

30th July picture(s) of the day…

30 Saturday Jul 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, West Yorkshire

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And what a convivial day it’s been! We started off by driving over to Huddersfield to have brunch with Dawn’s parents at the excellent Hinchcliffe’s farm shop in their ‘Rusty Bull’ cafe/restaurant. It’s always a treat to have someone else cooking for us – especially of a weekend. We weren’t disappointed either. The menu’s changed since our last visit. The full English still features and that was my choice as it’s something we’d rarely cook at home. Dawn plumped for one of the new dishes, Shakshouka. This was comprised of Chorizo, Smoked Bacon, Baby Spinach, Sweet Peppers and Poached Eggs, served with Sourdough Toast.

We had a lovely meal and time together which was only slightly spoiled by the fact a lone Wasp managed to sting me on my neck! The little barsteward prompted a detour on the way home so that I could pick up some anti-histamines from a chemist. Years ago I had a bad allergic reaction to a sting from some critter so I wasn’t taking any chances, especially as it stung me so close to my throat. I didn’t fancy a tracheotomy if things went pear-shaped! As it was the tablets worked a treat.

On the way home we called in at another favourite, the Bolster Moor farm shop where we stocked up on various cuts of meat that’ll keep us going for quite some time and allow Dawn to produce some of her amazing dishes – like her fabulous gluten-free lasagne as well as home-made chicken-liver pate. We also bought a couple of different bags from their range of flours for our neighbour as a ‘thank you’. Susan bakes the most delicious bread (purely as a hobby) which she passes on to us. Her delightful range of fresh home-made loaves mean we hardly ever have to buy bread.

Once back at home Dawn rolled up her sleeves and started cooking whilst I sloped off to our nearest pub (The Wainhouse Tavern) for a few games of pool with some friends. I don’t go every week, only when I’m around. Rediscovering old skills (I used to play in a pool team back in my distant youth) is great fun and makes a pleasant change from just propping up a bar.

I stayed for a couple of pints and several games before returning home to muck in cleaning up the kitchen where Dee was cooking up a storm. As well as the gorgeous smell of the Lasagne ragu the kitchen was full of the aroma of our meal for tonight – Nasi Goreng, the signature dish of Indonesia, which we’ll be eating soon after I’ve finished scribbling this!

Tomorrow will be less relaxing. I’ve been tasked with getting the cover picture of a magazine which means a trip to Leeds/Bradford in the hope I can get a suitable picture, so expect a rolling blog from my trip. In the meantime, here’s a selection of pictures from today’s outings.

Hincliffe’s full English with added black pudding…
A selection of local bitters in the Wainhouse Tavern.
Winning! Or not….
A snack before supper. Sat at my desk with one of Bolster Moor’s award-winning pork pies.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank you!

24th June picture of the day….

24 Friday Jun 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Halifax, Music, Picture of the day, The Piece Hall, West Yorkshire

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I have to admit, the day’s started well. I woke up to the news that the Tories had been roundly thrashed in both of yesterday’s bye-elections. The result in Wakefield was expected, but the Lib-Dems trouncing Tries in one of their safest seats wasn’t. As expected, it’s set a few cats amongst pigeons. Admittedly, I doubt it will lead to Johnson’s resignation. After all, he’s a man with neither scruples nor honour. He’ll hand on to No10 by his fingernails until he’s dragged from there kicking and screaming. He’ll have to be ejected by his own party or the electorate. I must admit I find the idea that his own constituents might finish his political career rather appealing if it wasn’t for the damage the man and the incompetent pets he keeps as a Cabinet could do in the meantime. I doubt Johnson will stay in politics after he’s ejected (one way or another). His only interest in politics was to massage his ego and get the top job. He’ll never stay on as a backbencher. Why would he? He’ll be off, being looked after one of the people he’s enriched who’ll give him a well-paid sinecure somewhere (preferably where he can’t do any more damage).

Apart from that been a busy morning/afternoon here in Bigland Towers. I’ve been kept occupied editing all the pictures I’ve been taking these past few days and getting them on my other website. You can find the results here. That done, it was time to finish type-swiping my latest article for RAIL magazine in order to be able to take some time off this afternoon as the pair of us are joining up with friends to go to the Piece Hall in Halifax this evening see too Nile Rogers and Chic in concert.

There’s only one tiny problem…

It’s an open-air gig and we’ve already had one absolutely torrential downpour with the weather forecast predicting thunderstorms to follow ! Now the sun’s out, making for a very muggy day with the temperature at 19 degrees. This could be interesting.

This means this is going to be a two-part blog, with the actual picture of the day added later. When I decide what it’s going to be…

OK. Here’s the picture of the day. The Nial Rodgers concert at the Piece Hall was an absolute stonker. It’s easy to forget just how many great tunes the man has written for other artists. Tonight he reminded us.

Rolling blogs. Berlin day 1…

07 Saturday May 2022

Posted by in Berlin, Food and drink, Germany, Photography, Rolling blogs, Travel

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09:30.

We’ve had an easy start to the day due to arriving so late last night. We’d not made any plans for our first day anyway but whilst we were en-route I was in contact with a German friend and colleague who lives here in Berlin. Ellen has arranged to meet us for lunch. I’d suggested the group might like to try somewhere traditionally German, so we’re off to Sophieneck in Hackescher Markt.

The weather here in Berlin is gorgeous and such a contrast to rainy, gloomy Manchester. It’s warm and sunny and ideal for a walking tour of the city. I’ve been coming to Berlin regularly for many years now but Dawn (who used to live in Germany many years ago) hasn’t been for 20 years and the rest of the gang are city virgins. It should make for an interesting day…

23:30.

Well, that was a pretty crap rolling blog, wasn’t it? We’ve had such a fun time and seen so much that blogging was the last thing on my mind. Instead, I’ll flesh this out in the morning as I’ve a bit of time before we meet to head out and explore on day 2. Instead, I’ll leave you with a picture of the day – from today).

To me decent, energy efficient and user- friendly public transport is the epitome of a good city. Here’s one of Berlin’s modern low-floor trams which are exactly that.

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank You!

10th April picture of the day…

10 Sunday Apr 2022

Posted by in Food and drink, Musings, Picture of the day, Uncategorized, West Yorkshire

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Right, I’m bored now. I first tested positive for Covid last Thursday. I felt shit for several days, then bounced back, but I’m still testing positive – including this morning! Unlike many people Dawn and I are taking this seriously and not putting anyone else at risk so I’ve had no close contact with anyone since I first tested positive. Well, apart from my wife – obviously! Oh, I’m tempted, there’s a few people who I’d quite happily give the Rona to but as they’re nowhere near me the chances of that happening are minute! I’m frustrated as I’ve no idea when I’ll start testing negative again. In the meantime it’s really cramping my style and the things that I can do.

The pair of us are feeling frustrated as there’s so many things we’ve had to put on hold – including family gatherings. So, to lighten the mood the pair of us had a long amble around the streets of Halifax today, exploring side-streets and areas we’ve never visited before. I find the town fascinating to wander around as the architecture is so diverse. It ranges from huge mansions to back-to backs and with a timespan that covers centuries. Many building have changed form and purpose over the years which leads to the opportunity for some detective work, trying to guess what the places were used for originally. There’s also some impossible building footprints too as properties have been squeezed on to odd plots of land, leading to some very oddly shaped structures which must be almost impossible to furnish well.

Back at Bigland Towers we’ve enjoyed another quiet night in. Dawn decided to take over the cooking tonight as I prepared last night’s meal, which leads to the picture of the day. I really enjoy cooking but it’s once in a blue moon we cook red meat at home. Maybe it’s the result of the ‘Rona’ but yesterday I fancied trying something different and found an Asian recipe for a beef Red Curry which sounded delicious so I gave it a go. When I cook I like to have everything prepared beforehand and laid out in a selection of bowls we’ve brought back from our travels in Thailand and Vietnam. So, here’s last night’s meal broken down into its constituent parts. Vegans, look away now…

I’m hoping that tomorrow I’ll finally test negative and can start to come out of my shell as (potentially) we’ve both got a lot on in the next week or so. Time will tell…

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312

Thank You!

Christmas eve picture of the day…

24 Friday Dec 2021

Posted by in Food and drink, Musings, Picture of the day, Surrey, Travel

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We’ve had a relaxed and convivial day here in Surrey – and feeling very fortunate too. Our main mission today was to celebrate the 14th birthday of Dawn’s nephew, Sam. Before hand I saw a message from my brother that his family’s Christmas has been kiboshed by the fact Bev – his wife- has tested positive for Covid this morning. Bev works in a school and has done throughout the pandemic, but right now staff are ‘dropping like flies’ as Dave described it.

So far we’ve been lucky – and we’re determined to keep it that way. However, seven of us did go out for a meal in Guildford to celebrate Sam’s birthday. Considering it’s Xmas eve which is normally a frantic day for last-minute shopping and catch-ups the town was remarkably subdued – as was the restaurant. We’ve eaten at Olivio before. It’s a lovely Italian restaurant based in a classic old building full of character where the staff are lovely and the food (which comes in huge portions) is delicious. Normally, this time of year Olivio would be booked out. As it was there were just two 1st floor tables taken for lunch, ours and another family group of 6. An awful situation for the restaurant but good for us as the kitchen staff had few people to focus upon.

The pair of us had eschewed breakfast in order to do justice to the portion sizes. Here’s what Dee and I shared…

We’re both fans of Calamari so this shared starter was right up our street. The Mayonnaise dip was mixed with garlic and the calamari is laced with herbs. The whole dish tastes divine as the Calamari is cooked perfectly.
My main course was Buridda, the chef’s version of a classic Genoese fish casserole dish containing mussels, swordfish, tiger prawns, monkfish, potatoes, cooked in a delicate white wine, garlic, chilli and tomato sauce. The picture doesn’t really do the dish justice as the portion size and amount of fish it contains was excellent.
Dee plumped for another fish dish. GUAZZETTO DI SALMONE contains salmon, prawns, potatoes, olives, capers, garlic, anchovies, tomato and aromatic herbs served with garlic crostini bread. – delicious and filling!

We’re now back in Tilford, chilling at Chateau Platt whilst preparing food and presents for tomorrow’s festivities. I hope you all have an equally relaxed and fun day, wherever you’re celebrating and whomever you’re celebrating with!

I’ve a favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this blog, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course (although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab!), but the revenue from them helps to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site – and right now (because of Covid), us freelances appreciate all the help that we can get to aid us in bouncing back from lockdowns. Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Thank you!

Rolling blog. Go West…

15 Friday Oct 2021

Posted by in Food and drink, Manchester, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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11:00

It’s a beautifully sunny day here in West Yorkshire, so after being cooped up in the office since Monday I’m venturing out and heading West to give myself and the camera an outing and make the most of the autumn light. I’ve also arranged to meet a friend who’s over from Ireland and pick up some exotic food shopping from Manchester’s Chinatown as I can’t get the ingredients in our neck of the woods. I’m hunting Kecap Manis, the Indonesian/Malaysian sweet soy sauce which is a staple of Asian cousine in that part of the world. Anyone who’s been to Indonesia and eaten locally will immediately know what I’m talking about. The little plastic bottles of sweet chili sauce and Kecap Manis are ever-present on the tables of Rumah Makan’s (food stalls) across the archipelago.

Right now I’m sitting on the 10:44 from Halifax to Manchester which is made up of a pair of CAF built 195/0s. It’s busy, but not overly so. Passenger numbers on the railways have really bounced back, especially leisure travel. Commuter and business numbers are still down but climbing. The bounce-back has confounded the sceptics who predicted a much slower recovery. I’ll be interested to see how busy Manchester’s main stations are later today…

Watch out for regular updates and pictures throughout the day…

20:33

Sorry! I take back (with embarrassment) what I said about regular updates. I’m now on my way home from Manchester after a really good day but one that went anything but to plan. I’d intended to head West to get pictures of the Porterbrook leasing Class 769 bi-mode trains and also get a few shots of the new Stadler Class 777s which are on test runs before being introduced into service on Merseyrail. But today was ‘one of those days’. For once I had company on my quest. I met an Irish friend who’s over in the UK for a break but who’d never explored the routes I was looking at, so it seemed like a natural synergy. Having hooked up at Victoria we headed West on a pair of 156s to Wigan with the intent of catching up with the 769s there. It wasn’t to be. On arrival we checked ‘Real ‘Time Trains’ only to find the bi-modes were few and far between and certainly not on any train we were waiting for. There was only one thing for it. Adjourn to the pub and plan..

The Swan and Railway is a great refurbished multi-room pub that’s kept all its original features. It also has a cracking range of real ales. You can find it opposite North Western railway station or two minutes down the hill from Wallgate station.

Admitting defeat when it came to finding Class 769s we moved on via old rattletraps (aka Class 150s) to Burscough Bridge where we stopped for a pint at the Hop Vine, a brew pub that’s well worth a visit. We’d held out a forlorn hope that we might find a 769 going our way, but it wasn’t to be. However, our cunning plan was that we’d arrive at our next destination (Southport) ahead of a test run of one of Merseyrail’s new Stadler built Class 777s. Like most plans that involve test trains, it soon fell apart as the train path wasn’t activated. So, yet again, there was only one thing to do – adjourn to the pub after a lightening tour of the town.

(to be continued)…