Hello lovely people! I was going to do a Rants and a Raves post but decided instead my thoughts were more random and less ranty or ravy-specific. So here we go…
Spotted: one lone lunchbox on top of a car in my office car park.
I would be really annoyed if this was me (food = my life). I decided to put the lunchbox out of its misery (though I wouldn’t mind lying/sitting on top of a car all day in the sun instead of work if I’m honest…with a book perhaps) and take it to reception so they could email round. The owner had realised he’d left it behind however and met me halfway. Apparently his work colleagues had told him about it – why didn’t they bring it in for him!?
Frozen custard: I’d only heard about frozen custard when I was in the States and you could buy it from a fast food place like ice cream. I never actually tried it though. Anyone had it?
But anyway, there it sits in the Sainsbury’s freezer in the UK! I was very tempted to buy it it must be said but I managed to resist. Portion control and ice cream in my freezer is tricky
Home decor: So this is my TV unit thing that sits beneath my TV which is attached the wall in my flat.
I just don’t know what to put on it though as it looks a bit bare! When I bought the unit I thought the TV was going on it but then I found I could put the TV on the wall which was actually better for where the sofa was going. So now I have this area of space and it feels like I should put something there…like photo frames or potpourri. Can anyone suggest anything? I’m so terrible with stuff like this!
If I were a dinosaur I’d be a T-Rex: If you’re a regular reader of the blog or you know me in real life then you know I’m fairly carnivorous. I could easily give up bread, potatoes, rice etc. But I would really struggle to give up meat. Yes I could get protein from more environmentally sustainable ways but I love it too much.
Instead I try and buy as much organic and free range or outdoor reared meat as possible. As that’s obviously a lot more expensive I’ve found a good trick is looking in the section of the meat aisle where meat is just about to go off and so is marked down in price. I’ll only ever buy free range chicken and it’s at least 1/3 of the price cheaper getting it there. I then freeze it so I have no worries about it being needed to be eaten straight away.
Anyway, last weekend my fellow meat-loving friends, Louise and Tom (and their toddler, Jake), met up for a Sunday meat fest. Instead of going out to Sadlers (ahh that epic meal…) which would have been tricky for them with childcare we decided to recreate it at home. I brought buffalo chicken wings, a HUGE rack of St. Louis-style ribs and salad (#balance). They provided sausages, pulled pork, lemon and herb chicken thighs, BBQ spare ribs and chips.
The chips were buries underneath all the protein
It was amaaaaazing. Clearly far too much for us (yes, even for me) but delicious nonetheless. I mean look at that rib:
Jake had some cut up sausages and bread and seemed quite happy. It was a lovely way to spend a Sunday afternoon with friends.
Family time: For my mum’s birthday we went to Brighton at the weekend for a daytrip. We went by train which, for my family, was quite novel. We normally drive everywhere but we decided to save the hassle of parking.
The weather wasn’t great but we weren’t going there for the beach. We wanted to do a spot of shopping and have a nice meal.
We hadn’t realised it was the Brighton Fringe Festival which explained why it was bustling with people and things going on. Though it was a shame about the weather the atmosphere made up for it. For lunch we decided on Browns. I had done some research beforehand to find some nice restaurants but, in true style of my parents, they made no decisions before rocking up to Brighton and then floundering around a bit trying to find somewhere suitable (*sighs*). Also, a few of the places I suggested probably weren’t what my parents would have wanted anyway…But I have a lovely friend in Brighton that I might be able to persuade to take me (especially to any of the cool sounding vegetarian restaurants.! Yes, I can eat a non-meat based meal occasionally!).
Anyway Browns was lovely. Though the waiter was ridiculously incompetent. He took forever doing anything. We ordered drinks and saw them sat at the bar for a good 10 minutes before he brought them over, and even then he brought my dad the wrong drink (but he took it anyway for fear that he might die of thirst by waiting for the correct one). In the end though we came out well because he missed off our last drinks order which included a glass of champagne for my mum. The food, however, was delicious.
I shared this platter with my dad which included calamari, chicken lolly pops, fish pâté, hummus and prawn cocktail. For my main I had a Caesar salad (so predictable) and for pudding I had a brownie. Not my favourite because it was so rich but nice with honeycomb ice cream.
We then walked around the Lanes and did some shopping. This obviously included the Choccywoccydoodah Shop.
My dad, a self-confessed chocolate addict, said it was torture as he wanted everything. But he’s trying to be good (and everything was rather expensive – though very good quality!). A good time was had! My dad was perilously close to falling asleep on the train and all our phones had died by this point – what on Earth would we do!? Make actual conversation with each other?? Like when I was younger, we played some train journey games like the “yes and no” game where you have to guess what the other person is (literally anything, person, object, place) by them just answering yes or no. I felt like a kid again!
Do you play any games on long journeys?
Do your friends have similar eating tastes to you?
Have you ever been to Brighton?
I love Brighton – it’s my favourite UK city aside from London, my mum used to have family there so we went a lot as a kid and nowadays I love it for all of the veggie and vegan restaurants – its definitely a lot better than London on that front! x
LilyLipstick recently posted…Travel: Kuoni Highlights Of Vietnam
It’s very cosmopolitan like London. And super quirky!
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Tough decisions and hamstring tendinopathy
Wow – look at how much meat is on that rib. I bet your were in heaven!
I had no idea that you could get frozen custard in the UK now. I MUST GET SOME!
Dannii @ Hungry Healthy Happy recently posted…Comment on Roasted Sweet Potato Salad by Gayle @ Pumpkin ‘N Spice
I definitely could not finish that rack of ribs. But it was amazing!
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Tough decisions and hamstring tendinopathy
Home custard?! MIND BLOWN!! This sounds right up my (non-Whole 100) street! I’d love to go to Brighton, as I haven’t actually been, but I think Brown’s will be on the list if we do! I love playing games on journeys. The worst is Mini Punch with my sister (dead arms are always a feature) and I Spy always features.
Steph recently posted…Non-Weigh In Wednesday 18: Checking in
Yeah not sure frozen custard quite fits in with Whole30 (or any diet to be honest hehe).
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Tough decisions and hamstring tendinopathy
Anna,
I had frozen custard for the first time this past Sunday. They opened a new Custard/Gelato place in our neighbourhood (http://www.ritasice.com/) recently and we had to hit it! It was awfully good, even thought it just tasted like ice cream! I don’t have a sweet tooth and so I seldom eat ice creams and such!
Even though we have taken many vacations in the UK, we have never been to Brighton. My wife and I are headed that way, again, this summer for two weeks! We haven’t quite decided whether it’s gonna be the Cotswolds, the lake district or head south to Isle of Wight! If we do that, we may hit Brighton!
I love that you guys have actual frozen custard places. It’s very rare for us to have something so specific – like an ice cream parlour or dessert place unless it’s near the sea.
Ahh all those places sound like good bets for a holiday. I can see the Isle of Wight from the beach near my parent’s house! At school we’d go on trips there. Brighton is worth a visit as well.
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Tough decisions and hamstring tendinopathy
We used to play a game we called the ABC game. You would go through the alphabet and find each letter in order on signs, other cars or whatnot. It kept us entertained for a long time as kids.
Staci recently posted…Discovering the Runner in Me
Ahh that sounds cool. I used to play a version of that but each person would have to name an animal with each letter of the alphabet.
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Tough decisions and hamstring tendinopathy
I’m 37 and have never been to Brighton. Hopefully I’ll make it to Brighton before I’m 40! As for car games we used to play I Spy, the Banana Game (who could spot the most yellow cars/lorries), Tunnels (who could hold their breath the longest through tunnels) and the Quiet game (who could stay quiet the longest).
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It’s a lovely place to visit – lots of see and lots of options for food!
Your games sound good for children who might need to calm down a bit in the car hehe 😉
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Tough decisions and hamstring tendinopathy
As someone who lives in the states, I am very familiar with custard. It’s thicker and heavier than ice cream because I think there are eggs in it? I could be wrong. Most people prefer that but I prefer ice cream. Custard is good for a change once in a while!
Elizabeh C. recently posted…The Soaking Semper Five K
We have regular custard that we can eat hot or cold but not frozen. You guys are lucky to have so much cool stuff!!
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Tough decisions and hamstring tendinopathy
Frozen custard sounds amazing! How have I never heard of this before?! I’m off to Sainsbury’s this week to stock up!
One of my pet hates is poor service when eating out. I think it comes from having a background in restaurant management but I am always really conscious when things aren’t being done the way they should be. Dan hates eating out at certain places with me for this reason! I never complain unless there is really absolutely a need to, but I always comment to Dan if things aren’t quite to the high standard I would expect!
Some of my friends have similar tastes when it comes to eating out, although it feels like I haven’t eaten out with anyone for ages now. Must make a point of doing so again soon!
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I hadn’t heard of frozen custard before my friends told me about it and showed it to me in the States. Sounds good though!
Yes I imagine you really can tell when service is bad. You can really have a leg to stand on when you complain as well.
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Tough decisions and hamstring tendinopathy
We’re going to Sadlers on Tuesday night after seeing your post about it. I literally can not wait!
It’s such a fantastic restaurant 🙂
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Tough decisions and hamstring tendinopathy
What a fun time with your family!
My family and I play some fun games together, but most of them are made up on the spot by my 11 year old sister. She’s so creative!
Kat recently posted…No Bake Vegan Blueberry Cheesecake Jars
Kids are so good at coming up with good games. I used to have loads when I was younger!
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Tough decisions and hamstring tendinopathy
I love Brighton! Food for Friends is such a lovely veggie restaurant but you need to book. They even do an offer to impress meat eating friends as they as do confident in their food.
I think I’d put a vase of flowers and a few photo frames on that unit? But I have no interior design eye!
I like getting the train, so much less stress than driving, navigating and parking. Plus cheaper too. I tend to listen to podcasts on those journeys but I do like 20 questions.
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Ah good to know about Foods for Friends. I heard good things about that place and hope to go one day!
I think photo frames are a good bet. Not sure if I’m fussed with keeping fresh flowers all the time (though I suppose I could get fake ones…).
AnnaTheApple recently posted…Tough decisions and hamstring tendinopathy
Of course I’m a big Brighton girl, it’s my second home and it looks like you had a great time there! Frozen custard sounds epic!
I actually used your blog to check out what places I needed to find for Brighton – sadly I was with my parents who weren’t that adventurous when it came to quirky shops and cafes.