Futtocks

Just finished Martin Kelner's history of broadcast sport Sit down and cheer. Very interesting and quite entertaining, although I missed any real mention of Murray Walker, which is odd. On the upside, Bill McLaren doesn't get much of a mention either.

This season sees the first PFA Team of the Year without a Manchester United player in it since this (rather tasty) line-up): 1989-90 team of the year : Neville Southall Lee Dixon Des Walker Alan Hansen Stuart Pearce David Platt Steve Hodge Steve McMahon John Barnes Peter Beardsley Gary Lineker

The historical research, also covered in the appendices, is very good in these books.

On the subject of sous-vide, this is a useful site: http://www.sousvidesupreme.com/en-uk/sousvide_cookingtemperatures.htm Techniques, tips, recipes and temperature guides.

I was at some friends' house last night, and they cooked this Ottolenghi recipe for beetroot and celeriac gratin. Incredibly tasty, rich and satisfying. Definitely worth trying. As a committed meat-lover, I can say that even non-veggies would like it.

Just cooked sous-vide salmon in a beer cooler, a bit like this: http://www.marksdailyapple.com/sous-vide-salmon-with-salmon-skin-“bacon”/#axzz2zuUBScRt Well, we’ve just finished eating, and it went quite well. The salmon, while being completely cooked was unbelievably tender and the ingredients I’d put in the bag with it (salt, parsley, lemon zest and some hazelnut butter) has permeated the fish without overpowering it. The beer cooler, with a small top-up from the kettle after 20 minutes, lost about 15 degrees heat over 50-odd minutes. The crispy skin ‘bacon’ was burnt due to lack of attention from me, so I didn’t serve it in the end. Otherwise, an avenue well worth exploring.

I've just finished Stuart Maconie's The People's Songs. Enjoyable and evocative of semi-remembered years gone by. Of course, Maconie being an ex-NME writer, the name of Morrissey is dropped with a deathly clunk into practically every chapter, but that's a price you have to pay for an otherwise good read.

The author would have been very proud to read that second sentence. The Flashman books are a treasure trove of fun, filth and thrills, and I have revisited them again and again over the years with great pleasure.

I should have mentioned that being out of copyright, all of Jerome K.Jerome's books are free downloads for Kindle, including Three Men in a Boat, his best-known work.

I really don't enjoy his fiction, where the sour side of his nature seems to be more of a factor. I did enjoy The Mosquito Coast, but that's about it. His book about travelling around the coast of Britain in the mid-Eighties, The Kingdom by the Sea, is a great look at us as a nation from an outsider. Not always complimentary, but with interesting insights.

I have just finished The Pillars of Hercules by Paul Theroux, the tale of his journey round the coast of the Mediterranean sea. Very good, as is usual for his travel writing. I hit the second-hand shops the other day: Roderick Cameron - The Golden Haze: travels in the South Sea islands. Farid ud-Din Attar - The Conference of the Birds (English translation), a tale referenced by Jorge Luis Borges, among others. Harry Thompson - Penguins Stopped Play: Eleven (very bad) Village Cricketers Take on the World. Alan Bennett - A Life like other People's.

Yes, but you did pay the bill in BLOOD from Yog-SoggothGames.co.hell

I have recently finished Ruth Reichl's excellent 'Oysters and Pearls', which made me buy her other two books. Very enjoyable and fascinating. Currently reading Jerome K.Jerome - Idle Thoughts of an idle Fellow, A good fun book to dip into, rather than read all the way through. A tidbit to amuse you: I" had a tame rat when I was a boy, and I loved that animal as only a boy would love an old water-rat; and one day it fell into a large dish of gooseberry-fool that was standing to cool in the kitchen, and nobody knew what had become of the poor creature until the second helping."

Skim through the 'Police Academy' trailer, and the Daz Doorstep Challenge outtakes, and you will see Suzi Perry playing the part of a young Cherie Lunghi in a coffee advert.

Enoch Powell on a pogo stick. Yes, you read that correctly.

Another recommendation for the book 'Rogue Male' - the Radio 4 adaptation is a good one.

There's always some insecure type who wants to paint the whole industry with the same brush as the lunatic fringe. I'm guessing the author of that page owns a Bose. And actually deserves to! ...plus, there are far more bonkers things he could have posted, but he was probably too lazy to look for them. Some of the outer reaches of Peter Belt or Enid Lumley's theories, for instance.

Clive James' write-up of the 1974 Eurovision final.

It has gone horribly wrong for Coventry - they don't even play in Coventry any more, from what I've read. It wasn't that long ago when they had a decent and very watchable Premiership team.

England spank Montenegro 9:0 and our cricket team is in the world T20 final! Bit of a shame that we have men's teams in both sports too,,,

Everywhere I see Jura, I see 'big discount' labels. That doesn't send out a great signal. I just bought a bottle of Bowmore bourbon cask. It's rather nice.

The correct answer is "too many." HTH

Brucie leaves 'Strictly'!

General hints'n'tips for Borough Market, seeing as someone asked via PM and it is worth fitting into a London trip. Upside of Borough Market - lots of quality produce all in one place, plus stalls where you can buy stuff to eat straight away. Downside - VERY crowded at some times of some days. Normally, I can only get there on Saturday, due to their restricted opening times, and Saturday is when everyone in my situation goes. If you can get there early, it's a good idea. It is a bit of a labyrinth, so if you spot something and think "I'll take a look at that later", finding it again can involve a bit of wandering around. There are people who knock Borough Market, especially as it has become more well-known, and some produce can be pricey, but if you take your time, buy a glass of something to sip and tour all the stalls before you start buying, Then start with the heavy/hard stuff (meat, bottles etc.) and work your way through to the light and fragile (the selection of mushrooms is excellent at the big vegetable stall) and you'll end up poor but happy. Ask to take a look through the freezer at Exotic Meats, as what they have up front is just the burgers.

Just got back from Borough Market (near London Bridge), shopping for meat. Lunch - bison pie. Tastee! Shopping - a couple of woodpigeon, some Iberico pork steaks, charcuterie from Cannon & Cannon (goose sausage, venison sausage and a black pudding/chorizo hybrid), plus some rice morcilla and Iberico ham from the Spanish shop Brindisa.