The Beer Duty Escalator Rumbles On

BBC News - Budget 2011 at a glance: George Osborne's key points: "No additional changes to alcohol duty rates but 2% above inflation rise in excise duties for wine, spirits and beer to go ahead"

Well this will close a few more pubs then - not enough to continue to allow the Pub owning Property Companies (Punch, Enterprise and their ilk) to carry on fleecing their tenants and their tenants customers, this 'Pub friendly' lot have hammered another nail in the coffin of that Great British institution - The British Pub.

When Britain finally wakes up and finds that between the Pub owning Property Companies and the Treasury they've sleep walked into a situation where there is nowhere left to sit and chat with friends over well cellared, hand crafted ales or indeed gas filled euro-fizz for that matter, then a little more of what makes Britain and the British unique will be gone forever. See what's happening in Cornwall.

We know what happens when Beer Duty is increased because we've seen it before. The Treasury puts 7.2% on the Duty for every pint as it leaves the brewer. The Pub owning Property Company will then squeeze a little more off the price they're paying for the beer from the brewer, then add it and more back in to the price they sell it to the tenants for. The poor tenant has no choice then but to put the price up, lose more customers and go to the wall. I don't expect that the rise at the bar will be any less than 10p on a pint and could be as much as 20p.

This is why when you pop in to the pub next Monday evening, there will be fewer people drinking fewer pints, to talk to.

Now we come to the supermarkets; with this 7.2% increase the duty on a pint will now be 44p add in another 50p in VAT at 20% and we're on about £3 for a pint of ale in a pub. The supermarket will sell a 4-pack (about 3 pints) for no more than £3.50 (Tesco - 2 for £7) of which £1.32 is Duty and 70p is VAT. So cheap alcohol bought in the supermarket costs not only the British Pub dear it also amounts to a loss of 26p per pint to the Treasury. On the 2010 figures for UK beer consumption, and bearing in mind 52% (11,618 million pints) of beer is purchased in supermarkets and drunk at home costs the UK £3,021 million pounds.

Where should we go from here? I'm no genius but I can see that if we are going to see the pub survive and tenants able to make a proper living while curtailing the ill effects of excessive consumption the obvious answer is to curb alcohol sales in supermarkets while pricing the beer to the pub competitively with off-sales pricing. The bonus is of course, more drinking will be done in a controlled and 'responsible' environment and less damage will be done to peoples health through excessive consumption of cheap supermarket booze.

My feeling is that an 'off-sales' levy should be brought in to reduce the price difference and at the same time compensate the Treasury for the reduced tax take due to falling volumes. In addition a reduction in health care cost due to excessive consumption would keep the health lobby happy. The only losers would be the supermarkets but business is business!

...and another Shameless Introduction - 2011 Version

I saw the hit count on this blog quadruple last week so I thought I'd better check what my few visitors were looking for and lo and behold it was people looking for the text of the new Shameless introduction. Nothing unusual there as over the years most visitors are looking for that or the link to WNXX but it seems I have failed.

What you've all been looking for is the NEW new Shameless Intro.

Well here it is as far as I can get it despite the muffled and sometime unintelligible bits.

Anyway 'ere 'tis...

Anyone watching thinking, "we know fuck all about knowing fuck all about 'owt", needs to watch their back.

So you've had your Labour reclassifying skunk sending prices sky high literally, literally taking the grass off its own roots.

Now you've got your con-dem-nation, Liberals noshing Tories like altar boys picking dibs up.

Have we had a national fucking stroke or what?

Is revolution a word or was it never?

Anybody watching needs to know we cope better than average with irony in Chatsworth.

Well for fuck sake we live in Manchester and they charge us for water.

I wandered lonely as a cloud necking mushrooms rarely found. Green and pleasant land in ancient times?

Yap, yap, yap, yap, yap, yap, yap, yap.

It's not theirs anymore. This is our England now.

Party!!!



Correct me if I'm wrong please.
Full credit to the author.

Thanks anon. for the 'necking', Regards.
Thanks anon. for the 'skunk', Regards.
Thanks anon. for the 'clown', Regards.
...following the Comment below and listening again I think it is probably 'cloud' after William Wordsworth. Ta Anon. Regards.
Yes of course 'owt' is correct rather than 'ought'. Thanks Anon. Regards.
...so is it 'alter boys picking dibs up' or 'alter boys picking dimps up'? Regards.

Slow Roasted Pork Belly – with the Cajun ‘holy trinity’ of Bell Peppers, Onions and Celery

Feeds 2 – 3 hours cooking - Easy
This dish was inspired by an ‘Mmmm that looks nice’ feeling when I saw their Pork Belly Stack with Rosemary Mash and Deep Fried Leek Strips, at The Nineteenth House pub in Bath. I’d only dropped in for a pint on the way home.
The dish is relatively easy to cook requiring very little experience; something to impress without too much effort. Serve with a Dijon Mustard Mash.
Ingredients:
Pork Belly - cut in rectangles and about 350g per person
1 Red Onion
2 Bell Peppers
1 Carrot
1 Stick of Celery
2 Cloves of Garlic
1 bottle of Red Wine (150ml for the dish)
2 tsp. Herbes de Provence
Potatoes sufficient for 2 portions of Mash
1 Egg
1 tsp. Dijon Mustard
2 dstsp. Crème Fraîche
½ pint of vegetable stock (Bouillon)
2 tsp. Corn Flour
Salt and Black Pepper
Method:
Light up the oven and preheat to Gas Mark 8 (450°F, 230°C, Hot)
Score the skin and fatty surface of the pork into 15mm (1/2 inch) squares, sprinkle with a little of les Herbes de Provence with Salt and Pepper to taste.
Place in a fairly shallow roasting tin and place in the centre of the oven. After about half an hour check and if the skin is ‘crackling’ up nicely, reduce the heat to Gas Mark 3 (325°F, 165°C, Moderate) and roast for a further hour.
Now prepare the vegetables. Peel the potatoes sufficient for two portions of mash.
Cut the Bell Pepper into 2cm squares, along with the onion. Thinly slice the celery and carrot, crush and chop the Garlic.
When the meat has been in the oven for an hour and a half, take it out cover on a warm plate and set aside while the cut vegetables are tumbled in the juices in the tray, seasoned with black pepper and sprinkled with the rest of les Herbes de Provence . Rest the meat on top of the vegetables and return to the oven for a further hour.
With half an hour to go, make the Mustard Mash. Boil the potatoes and mash. Stir in the egg, Dijon Mustard and Crème Fraîche and a couple of twists of fresh ground black pepper. Put in an oven proof dish and place in the oven to keep warm.
Preheat a second roasting tray. Remove the meat and vegetable from their cooking tray and place on the fresh tray and return to the oven.
With the original roasting tray, place it on the hob and heat. When boiling, add the wine to de-glaze ensuring you stir in all the rich caramelised juices from the meat and vegetables and then reduce. Add the vegetable stock and thicken as required with a little corn flour. Finally glaze with a knob of butter before serving.
To serve the dish, place a pile of Mustard Mash on a warm plate. Pile the vegetables on the mash and pour a little of the sauce over it before topping out with the Pork. Dress the rest of the plate with the sauce.
Enjoy.

PS. I’m going to try this again but vary the flavours with Chilli and chopped leaf Coriander.

Something Nice from Inexpensive Lamb

This is Moroccan Slow Cooker Lamb

I found a pack of their 'Basics' Stewing Lamb in Sainsbury's yesterday so I thought I'd give this a bash. It's loosely based on a Moroccan style Chicken Dish I made a little while ago but this time I dispensed with the Harissa Paste.

Ingredients:
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
1.2Kg Stewing Lamb (larger pieces are good and bone-in will add to the flavour)
3 large Onions peeled and quartered
3 Peppers of various colours, deseeded and cut to 2.5cm pieces
1 Butternut Squash, peeled deseeded and cut into 15mm pieces
3 salsa strength Chillies sliced thin
3 large cloves of Garlic, crushed and sliced
1 x 250g carton of chopped tomatoes
125g dried apricots, soak just covered in water
1 tbsp. flaked almonds
2 tsp. Ground Coriander
2 tsp. Ground Cumin
1 tsp. Caraway seeds
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1 Lemon, zest and juice
Coriander Leaf, you can never have too much

Method:
Prepare your slow cooker: this usually involves reaching in, over or up, to the most out of the way place in the kitchen. It may even require standing on a chair so be careful. Give the lid, outer rim, handles and the cable a good wipe over with kitchen cleaner and a damp cloth. Plug it in and turn it on and set it to low, splash some water into it (a couple of tablespoons) and a teaspoon of bouillon or other powdered stock to warm the beast up.
In a large frying pan add the Olive Oil, Coriander, Cumin, Caraway Seed and Cinnamon. Bring up the heat and cook until it just begins to smoke then lower to minimum and allow the spices to release their flavours into the oil. Meanwhile cover the lamb pieces in flour. Add the lamb to the frying pan and increase the heat again. Cover the lamb in the hot oil and spices turning to ensure all sides are sealed and seasoned. When ready turn the lamb out into the slow cooker and cover.
Into the frying pan put the Chillies and Garlic and turn about for a minute to release their flavour. Add the Onion, Peppers and Butternut Squash and turn over. Allow the edges to darken slightly for flavour but try not to burn the Garlic. Tip the vegetables into the slow cooker and work in around the Lamb. Pour the Chopped Tomatoes into the frying pan to deglaze it and pour them straight in to the slow cooker.
Allow the slow cooker to come up to its working temperature. You'll find the Low setting will give you a very gentle simmer. Now tip in the Apricots and the water they were soaked in into the cooker and halve them. Add the Flaked Almonds, Lemon Zest and Juice and stir in.
Now leave cooking for at least 2 hours and certainly until the Lamb falls apart (be careful, you want it to stay in as few pieces as possible).
When ready to eat chop up a shed load of fresh Coriander, throw ¾ of it into the slow cooker and fold it in. Save the rest to garnish.
Prepare your Couscous, Rice or other accompaniment to taste and place it on a large serving dish as a bed and spoon the contents of the slow cooker over it, garnishing with the rest of the chopped Coriander leaf.
Serve with a Minted Yogurt

Enjoy. As before - any comments? You know what to do.

Agressive Aetheist and Proud

If any god bothering extremist wants to have a bash they're welcome. I don't give a ****.

To be continued...

...this Cooking Thing!!

It seems that I may have made a poor career choice some years ago. Once I had given up nicotine my taste buds went ape!! My waist line has become a testament to that. The result of course is that I am getting a bigger and bigger kick out of banging together really nice tasty good food.
Anyway here goes with another recipe...
As usually the inspiration for this beast of a curry was the Butternut Squash which I'd bought on a whim and had sat in the fruit and vegetable bowl for a few day.

Nick's Thai Style Red Curry
Ingredients:
Fats:
3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
1 tablespoon Ghee
Meat:
3 or 4 Chicken Breasts - Skinned
Corn flour
Salt
Black Pepper (Fresh ground)
Sauce:
3 large Onions pealed and cut to 2cm pieces
3 cloves of Garlic
A thumb sized piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and slice thinly across the grain
1 Butternut Squash, peeled deseeded and sliced to 3 or 4mm and cut into 15mm pieces
2 tablespoons Thai Red Curry Paste
3 salsa strength Chillies
3 large Peppers - deseeded and cut to 2cm pieces
1 cup Garden Peas (fresh and shelled or frozen)
10 -12 Cherry Tomatoes
15oz (tin) Coconut Milk
8oz Baby Spinach Leaves
Coriander Leaf
Method:
Cut the Chicken Breasts into 2cm cubes and toss in corn flour seasoned with salt and pepper to coat thoroughly.
Preheat a Wok and add the fats. Immediately add the chicken and toss to cover and seal with the hot oil. Allow time for the coating to brown slightly while turning frequently. When done remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Bring the oil back to temperature and add in turn the Onions, Garlic, Ginger and Butternut Squash turning constantly to prevent burning.
Once the squash has begun to soften add the Thai Red Curry Paste, Chillies and Peppers. Stir well to distribute the paste evenly through the vegetables.
Once the Peppers have softened add the Peas, Cherry Tomatoes and Coconut Milk. Bring back to the boil and turn down to a simmer.
When nearly time to serve add the Baby Spinach Leaves. Stir to combine the leaves with the sauce. The spinach will wilt away to nothing very quickly so don't over stir them.
Finally add the Coriander leaf and server at once over Rice or Noodles cooked to your own taste.

If you have any thoughts please don't hesitate to contact me via the Comments link below.

Tagliatelle 'uddersfield

This little beast was inspired by the left overs in the fridge this morning. I have an epithet of 'short date' by virtue of the fact that I can't resist buying food that has a limited shelf life, which is why I ended up with a pack of Co-Op Fresh Tagliatelle in the fridge this morning. Stashed away at the back with the bacon could also be found a quarter of a Huddersfield Black Pudding. Purist would have you believe that the only good Black Pudding comes from Bury in Lancashire. Not true. I have found that the Black Pudding sold in The Market in Bath is gorgeous and comes from Huddersfield thus: 'Tagliatelle 'uddersfield'.
In a moderate (Gas Mk 5) oven place a tray with quartered half inch slices of a quarter of a Black Pudding ring to crisp, be careful they don't go hard. Take 2 chopped Banana Shallots, a large clove of Garlic, chopped; 2 rashers of Smoked Streaky Bacon cut small and some Sage and Oregano and sweat off in a saute pan with Olive Oil, adding thin sliced White Mushrooms when nearly done. Meanwhile bring a pan of water to boil and cook the Tagliatelle. Once the Tagliatelle is cooked to taste drain and toss into the sauted vegetables to coat with the juices. Beat two Eggs and mix into the pasta and vegetable mix and serve with the pieces of Black Pudding on top. Serves at least one person so adjust for more.
If you rate this let me know. Cheers...