Tiny Tim

I did and gave up after reading the 50th different way of ensuring you get "perfect crackling" From trial and error I think the key things that seem to improve your chances of success are to make sure the skin is really dry, unwrap and leave out overnight if possible, make sure you score the skin but not right through to the fat. Rub with a bit of oil and lots of salt and some freshly ground pepper. Heat the oven to maximum temp and then cook for 20-30 mins on full, then turn right down and cook slowly for a good few hours Some say to pour over boiling water before drying, others say no oil on the skin, some do low temp first then blast it at the end....some cheat and take the skin off and cook it under the grill. Most of the time I get decent cracking but on the odd occasion for no obvious reason the skin remain un-crispy which is very disappointing.

Interesting thanks, I do have a "mature" oriental red sauce in the freezer that I use (and re-use) for braising chicken, that was made with light/dark soy, sugar and star anise if I remember correctly. It's a tough call as I do like crackling and the pork belly is great for that, but tempted to try that recipe.

Futtocks any tips for cooking pork belly? I got a decent sized lump of pork belly today and normally I would just roast it on high to crisp up the skin then turn down low and cook for a couple of hours. Basic seasoning of S&P and some thyme and bits from the garden.

Completely agree, my dad had some pretty pricey camera kit available to him, he had a lot of the work cameras as well as his own collection, but he was never a people person when it came to taking photos. He had some fantastic landscapes from all around the world, great shots of boats, trains, buildings, but when it came to trying to take pictures of people it looked like a drunks first encounter with a camera (he was tea total before anyone asks). My dad took a lot of photos at our wedding and offered to put together an album for us of his pics...which became quite awkward when we started looking through the prints (pre-digital age) as there weren't a lot of great ones. In the end we had a couple in frames. When you see a good shot it seems so "obvious", if that makes sense, but timing, framing and so much else that goes into taking a good picture is not obvious or easy.

I have several team members who I would happily shoot (paintballs)...and a few senior folk.

To be honest I am quite impressed that when a manager decided his team needed some fun time they actually ended up having fun. I have been subjected to team building and similar nonsense before at the whim of some senior bod and for the most part it was awkward, expensive, divisive and an utter waste of time. If your team was genuinely happy then sod the miserable gits who wish to complain. DO it again and be noisier next time.

Really like that photo. My dad was a professional photographer and growing up in Portsmouth had a fascination with boats of all kinds so we always had lots of pics of boats up around the house. Dad was also something of an amateur artist and loved to copy his photos onto canvas using either oil paints or pastels. All the more impressive given it was a camera phone you used to take it.

It was probably mixed with coke and "enjoyed" at some house party.

Definitely worth a shot at less than 20 notes a bottle. Really wish we had an Aldi near us. You have to wonder how they can sell bottles at that price but it would almost be rude not to.

That is quite cool and helps visualise night and day around the globe. I'm going to have to show that to the kids tonight when they get back from school

In the end I went for a bottle of Ardbeg Uigeadail again, which isn't cheap but I think is bloody lovely stuff. I tried a few at duty free on the way to Amsterdam including a Green Label JW that contains Islays amongst other and was very drinkable. I also tried Caol ila for the first time and may get a bottle of this next unless I go back to the Bunnyheaven.

Which ones if you don't mind me asking? I had a special edition bottle a year or so ago which was really nice, I think it was you or someone on here who mentioned Bunnahabhain that got me looking for a bottle to give it a try back then.

No doubt also massively expensive unless purchased at a jumble sale or from a nursing home sewing group.

He even had time for me, a fan of the dark side. I've still got a copy of the book he sent me. Sadly missed

Someone asked for a locksmith and as if by magic 6 years later a new poster appears and their wish is answered...

They are served on the side in a teapot........ https://twitter.com/wewantplates?lang=en-gb

I opted for a bottle of Laphroaig PX. It is a NAS whisky but is actually rather nice and has plenty of flavours going on. The range in Basel airport departures was a bit limited but having had a couple of glasses so far I am happy enough with my purchase

I never even realised the French made whisky. I am off on my travels again tomorrow so will be checking out duty free for something to try. My BunnyHeaven and Ardberg are all gone so need something to fill a space in the drink cabinet.

Agree with that, I have two PMs who are outstanding, one in the UK and one in Netherlands. They are so focused and driven it's scary, they come to me for guidance but usually just to bounce ideas around and to let me know what's happening. The only thing they both lack a little bit is client management (soft skills to use a horrible phrase), but these will come in time and I can see them both progressing rapidly. The Dutch lady can sometimes be a bit brutal with her analysis of situations but this is a cultural thing where she just calls a spade a spade and isn't very interested in diplomacy.

I have a number of project managers that report to me and it's shocking the amount of time I have to remind them to clarify scope of work and exepectations so they and other people don't waste huge amounts of time doing something that isn't right, and also agreeing timelines so that they don't just send out vague requests for things to be done. Such basic concepts, but so commonly overlooked.

Flexible when it's something they want to do. When people start quoting their job description at you, then you know they don't want to be promoted.

If all-seeing, all-powerful gods choose to sit on their @rses while their creations suffer, or they actively torment their creations as a 'test' then it's a pretty tough story to sell that they are deserving of worship. At least the Norse folk accepted that the gods they worshipped were an evil bunch who enjoyed chaos and torment amongst the human populous. Not a nice concept but at least there was no BS about gods loving their creations and caring for them or similar such nonsense. Sorry to hear your wife has been having a tough time Craig

Oh damn, I just ordered a bottle of the regular stuff (10yr old). I think I still have the birthday discount code they sent so always room for another bottle or two.

Heavy snow for about 5 minutes in Sussex.....total chaos.

Wonder if they would like Stuart Barnes to add to the mix. He knows nothing about baseball, but he also knows nothing about rugby and that's never stopped him talking about games.