Tuesday 23 February 2021

Corned Beef, Garlic New Potatoes And Our Homegrown Brussel Sprouts.

 Brr..  It's that wet and windy that you wouldn't put a milk bottle out in this weather.  Even the rats and mouses (mice) are wearing fur coats.

We had a 'proper' tea last night.   This consisted of a packet of Corned beef (Lidl 2 Euros), some garlic new potatoes for two Euros fifty and some of our homegrown Brussel Sprouts which we grew from seed.  The seeds cost about 2 Euros.   But we have had quite a few meals out of them.  So our meal cost about: 5 Euros for three of us.


A cheap tea.

Apparently Corned  beef is supposed to contain far too much salt.   We demolished everything and a good meal was had by all.  

Sometimes traditional food is all you need.  I love Cosmopolitan food but I also like the stuff we were brought up on.  

How about you?



22 comments:

  1. That was darned good value meal there Dave.
    As a kid one of my favourite meals was corned beef with either chips or mash. I don't eat it any more because of the high salt content, but I do remember how much I loved it.

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  2. It was JayCee. I usually don't have table salt and felt fine after the meal. Perhaps I needed the salt? I think we should champion ordinary regional and home country food. I have met tourists looking for traditional Irish food like bacon,potatoes and cabbage, corned beef, potatoes and bacon, Irish stew, bubble and squeak, Full Irish breakfast including white and black pudding, potato cakes..? Thanks.

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  3. Dear Dave,

    Well, corned beef. Now we cannot recollect the last time we saw let alone ate corned beef. How amazing that it still alive and well on the shelves of Lidl.

    What we do recall is the trade mark 'Fray Bentos' and to our huge surprise at the time was to find out that Fray Bentos is a place. It is in Uruguay where we happened to be at Christmas one year [long story]and when we came across Fray Bentos on a map we were simply lost for words.

    Your Brussel sprouts look fabulous. We love them and nothing matches the taste of home grown produce!

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  4. Hello The Hattatts. Yes you can buy corned beef in tin form too. In north west England we use to have corned beef hash. Corned beef is also great for sandwiches both cold and toasted.

    Didn't know there was a place called Fray Bentos. We sometimes purchase Spam in Ireland stores here in Ireland.

    The sprouts are not very big but size means little when it comes to growing and eating your own does it?

    Thanks for commenting.

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  5. Gimme. gimme, gimme , the food of my childhood. I remember corn beef my mother made. Scrumptious. You dont need much more than those new potatoes (with Irish butter, or NZ fern leaf!) and some brussel sprouts. We buy tinned corned beef now and again, double the price your LIDLS packet. Yours looks more like the corned beef I remember.
    I was brought up on lamb chops and mash. Down home then, if you didnt have meat on the table there was something seriously wrong.
    Certainly I prefer the 'english' food to this foreign stuff I eat most days.

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  6. Great comment Linda. I have just been reading about Uruquay and in particular Fray Bentos. Apparently it was a British colony and it exported 16 million tons of tinned corned beef to allied troops in 1943. I remember going on school trips with corned beef sandwiches and feeding them to the polar bears in the zoo. They loved them. Perhaps another recipe for your cook book?

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  7. I used to go to school with a girl who's mum have her corned beef sandwiches every day. She hated them. She used to give them to me. I loved them. Now I love corned beef, cheddar and branston on a butty. Delicious!

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  8. Great school food memory Christina. We can get Branston but you can't stuff like Lancashire crumbly or even English bitter. Well we can get Newcastle Brown online or if we go to Tralee in County Kerry. They are extending our 5 Kilometre lockdown until at least April.

    Never thought I would say it but the English Government seems to be showing that there is light at the end of tunnel. Thanks.

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  9. I am not a big fan of corned beef, but next fall, I'm going to have a meal that I haven't had in years. Beef liver with lots and lots of onions, mashed potatoes, gravy. I love vegetables, so the side doesn't matter at all. Organs are high cholesterol food. Why is it that all the delicious things are not good for us?

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  10. Thanks Debby. I am a great believer that you can what you want if you exercise or do manual work. Stodgy food like stews and corned beef and vegetables are just the ticket especially in winter or if you have been walking or working outside. Corned beef toasties for tea tonight. That's an Irish favourite snack.

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  11. You must be rolling in money Dave! Five euros for a family meal...Good heavens! I like to "mix it up" when it comes to our evening meals. Sometimes it is nice to go for simple options that remind us of our early years. When did you last have liver with onions and maybe a little bacon too?

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  12. We often have bacon hotpot and the dreaded Shepherds pie made with minced beef which is really Cottage pie YP. I suppose we could have banana butties and vinegar butties tomorrow?😊

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    1. Can you get pigs' trotters? Maybe sheep brains in mint sauce. Yummy!

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  13. Yes you can get Crubeens YP. My grandparents over here ate bacon, cabbage and potatoes most of the time.

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    1. Crubeen? Thanks. You have introduced me to a new word.

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    2. Boreen another Irish word I often use YP.

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  14. I tried to make ‘proper’ home made corned beef some years ago - it was a disaster and nothing like as good as what we’ve come to expect. I too like old favourites from time to time - it’s hard to beat good ploughman’s lunch for example on a sunny summer’s day.
    I noticed your comment on my blog about Beara - fine part of the world; not unlike the wilder parts of Pembrokeshire where I spend much time too.

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    1. Thanks for your comment the bike shed. Ploughman's lunches and real ales are something I really miss from Blighty. David Yeadon wrote a great book about Beara. I watched the Susan Calman travelogue programme recently when she visited Pembrokeshire. Looks a great place to visit or live and you are not far from the Welsh Marches and West Country.

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  15. The only way to corned beef in Canada is in cans. Why does New Zealand put it in round cans? It's keyless and way to easy to open, lol

    I remember the time my Mum bought corned beef in the butcher's at Safeway. Turned out it was a pickled brisket and she had to cook it. She was not impressed.

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    Replies
    1. Hi 50 and counting. Tinned corned beef is great especially if you are hiking. I have always wanted to visit Canada. Rush and April Wine are two bands I really like. I have seen Rush twice. Thanks.

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  16. I love corned beef, haven't had it for years though. I also love sprouts and cabbage. Bubble and squeak - perfect with a fried egg!

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  17. Hi the veg artist. I must try bubble and squeak with a fried egg. Simple but satisfying food. Thanks.

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