pumpkinstrokemarrow

Anyway, onto Foyles where I manage to buy just the sort of book I am looking for, simply by browsing the appropriate shelves. Must be the best large bookshop in London now. Good stock and uncluttered feel. One can even pay for one's book at the sales desk rather than having to queue for the second time at the separate pay desk - which used to be in the form of an enclosed wooden booth. Must have been a bit claustrophobic for the person flying the desk - usually a larger, older and rather fierce woman. With spectacles.

Celebrated with a visit to the Patisserie Valerie in Old Compton Street, where it seemed to be the only cake shop left. I am sure that there used to be more once. I settled for what was described as Madame Valerie's Devonshire Cream Tea, which worked out about the same as having tea and cake a la carte. Cream and jam fine. Scone started life fine, but having probably been baked early that morning, was no longer as fresh as it might be. But perfectly eatable. Tea a touch strong. Clientele mainly young, including a bunch of students engaged in long winded and earnest discussions about something. Those were the days. Overall experience not quite as good as the branch at Torrington Place which is in a much newer premis. (See above. New factlet on the blogsearch capability which finds 'Patisserie Valerie' but not 'Valerie'. What is it at? We will get there in the end). Maybe ought to stick to coffee and continental cakes in such a place.

Then moved onto the napkin hunt proper, starting at the bottom of Regent Street. First stop 'Zara Home' which had quite a selection of the things, but nothing which would quite go with our Green Berylware, of which we have far too much to change. Headed on up, then cut across to New Bond Street. Senior moment in that I thought that we saw Goldsmiths & Silversmiths there but decided that they were probably a bit too posh for what we wanted. But Mr G. alleges that Goldsmith & Silversmiths no longer exits, having been taken over by Mappin and Webb fifty years ago. And they live in Regent Street rather than New Bond Street. Interest sparked by my parents' cutlery having come from one or the other place - whereas for our own we could only run to Heals. Pushed on into Burlington Arcade where there are a few of the sort of silverware merchants who could probably do silver napkin rings for rather more than we wanted to spend. But we thought we would have a look anyway. And so it was that we found an outlet for Royal Selangor Pewter, which could do four quite decent napkin rings, half price, at just over £20. Not that much more than double what I paid at the car boot sale. And so it was that the great napkin ring hunt came to an abrupt end, having taken far less time that I thought it would. Must now embark on a survey of who uses the things while BH embarks on a hunt for suitable napkins to put in the things.

Back to TB to trigger earnest discussion gastronomic. In the first instance about the effect of salt on beer and in the second on the right way to roast potatoes. It all started off innocously enough by my explaining how I had had, for once in a very long while, rejected a pint of Pedigree at the Tooting Wetherspoon because it tasted thin. Which they changed without comment for Abbott which also tasted a bit thin. But I persisted with it and then, sometime later, thought that maybe my taste buds had been corrupted by consumption of bacon sandwich from the cafe round the corner immediately beforehand. Nothing wrong with either the Pedigree or the Abbott. The TB view was that the salt in the bacon sticking to one's mouth would have messed up the taste of the beer. Something to do with PH levels. I countered with the observation that there are people who consume very cold beer from bottles the neck of which has been rimmed with salt. A Mexican thing I think. But I think they might be right for all that. Salt and beer might not mix. In the same way that toothpaste and oranges do not mix. And then onto roast potatoes, something I am no good at, on which not appropriate for me to have strong views. Don't really like the things that much. A bit fat and heavy. Notwithstanding, major debate about the appropriate size of roast potatoes and the length of time which they should be simmered or boiled before moving onto roasting. General agreement that goose fat was the proper basting stuff. Not so general agreement that flouring the potatoes after basting them was a good plan. Along the way I was ticked off for not taking the business of resting the joint for 15 minutes after cooking seriously enough. The allegation was that eating directly after cooking not good cheese.

On return to base, BH unearthed a couple of forgotten about napkin rings, probably from Luxembourg. White porcelain pigs with abdominal apertures to take the napkins. But apertures not big enough for a man-size napkin. Will probably serve for ladies. Total now seven, not counting any which might be lurking in Exminster.