1970's food

[thugulike]

Is it me or are most of the food tips/menus posted here a throwback to the '70's. Does that mean that most of the audience are of a certain age? Some up to date ideas please!

[ummmm]

Like what?

[ethandron]

mercia posts loads of up to date menus here.

ps. mercia, do you have a lot of people to cook for and do they eat everything up each day or do you have left-overs, and if so, what do you do with the left-overs?

[merciasounds]

Bless you Ethand ron.....I keep explaining this!! My husband only eats breakfast, never lunch except on Sundays. He likes to have a choice of three mains every day, and that's what i post here. I just just throw in the starters, and there's always at least three puds on the go, I do a lot of baking, my own bread cakes and biscuits I have a lot of people 'drop in' so it's handy to have something to go with a cuppa

[boxtops]

How do you work that then mercia, do you shop every day depending on which of the three choices your husband opts for? You sound very generous - my husband gets whatever today's menu is, which depends entirely on what's in the fridge!

[pastafreak]

mercia-have you always offered your husband such a choice?...and have you had children? Have they had a choice also?

As for thugulikes query...he/she may have a point.
A lot of people get set in their ways food-wise....while others will always experiment. I know I am of a 'certain age'...yet I will always try new things and keep up to date. I would get bored otherwise.

[ummmm]

My Dad wouldn't eat foreign food. At the Chinese he would order steak....

[merciasounds]

I loathe answering questions like these because I then get accused of 'showing off' by pastafreak, and others, when I say things like summer/autumn when my garden really comes into it's own, etc. . I used to run a big catering company of my own until I had a near-fatal car accident. So consequently my kitchen reflects that and I have a huge walk-in freezer and fridge in a built in extention. I also have an Aga, a professional double cooks oven and a big gas range with wok burner and indoor BBq grill. My parents and hubby's parents and my brother own farms in Devon, so I get lambs, pork, beef, Turkey, goose chickens and duck from them, also most dairy and flour. A friend who supplies restaurants with fish and seafood also calls to me once a fortnight, and also brings me game in season. I have a huge poly-tunnel at a friends field and grow salad stuffs peppers, courgettes, etc, i grow veg and fruit in my garden. I have a big green house and grow tomatoes.
Yes my husband has always had a choice of what he wants. I'm not answering about children - that side of my life is private and I wouldn't want anybody upset. I have had many jobs in the catering world, including 'prepping' for some famous cooks. So when you see little bowls of neatly chopped herbs, finely diced onions, etc, you can bet your bottom dollar that the chef didn't do it him/herself. (except for Hugh, he does all his own prep - well he used to). I keep up (reading wise) with 'trends' but don't necessarily follow them. I read cookbooks like others read novels.

[ethandron]

we have a little chat each morning about what we fancy for our evening meal, and then i take whatever out of the freezer if it needs to be defrosted. saturday evening is our special meal, i usually try and make a bit more effort with it...although at the moment i'm going through a gone off cooking phase and it all seems too much of an effort. i do make a fresh fruit salad every other day or so, we always have a nice big bowl of it after our evening meal. and i'm paranoid about eating at least our 5 a day, probably more like 10 a day in our house.
your husband's a lucky bloke mercia, to have such a choice and such a good cook for a wife :)

[ethandron]

that's really interesting, thanks for telling us.
i don't think it could be called 'showing off' if you're just answering someones questions, i'd call it being polite.

[merciasounds]

Thank you Ethandron!!

[boxtops]

mercia, that's not showing off at all, it is interesting to know - we are all so different and some of us have more or less or different things. I don't have a boat or a dog or play the flute, but I can still be interested in those who do - so don't be put off by thos occasional comment (not that I think you are!). Good luck to you. Me, I am not fond of cooking so I can sit back and admire those who take pleasure in it.

[pastafreak]

Thanks for the answer mercia.....tho it was not necessary to make my enquiry out to be something negative. It was merely curiousity.

But-I am well aware that you grow much of what you eat......and this may take me back to my original 'problem' with your menus.....you are able to source , or have immediate access to a variety of food that many don't...and that is reflected in your menus. Maybe it is for that reason that some things seem unrealistic in comparison to what most of us would prepare.

If you want to think I am 'getting at ' you...that is your prerogative...but I am not.
This forum is about discussion...and there will always be those who may not see eye to eye.....but I hope can still exchange opinions.

[woozer]

Gosh - I wish I had your kitchen and poly tunnel Mercia. But as I havent I enjoy your menus.

Retro food is very fashionable these days thugulike - so no we are not all of a certain age (whatever that might be) but we are up with the latest trends - are you sure you are ? LOL

[thugulike]

I wasn't having a go at Mercia, just commenting that we seem to be of a certain age and that includes me. Sometimes I need inspiration. I, like Mercia, grow much of my own fruit and freeze for an all year round supply. We have very rocky ground so I tend not to grow veggies in the ground but will plant anything above. I have excellent local supplies of fish, poultry, pork, lamb and venison. I truly am spoiled for choice. We don't eat any processed food, everything that can be made at home is.
This is a wonderful forum. I remember many years ago asking for sweet potato ideas and woofgang came up with a winner.

[bushbaby_de]

lol @ "certain age"

Yes I am a certain age..... 28.... so was not here in the 70s!