The problem howabout is that we had very conventional fan ovens in Belgium, so ds could manage. Here, we are back to range cooking (I have a Stanley, sort of like a Rayburn), and as the turkey is British and fresh this year, and so worthy of respect, I won't be brining it as per Nigella. The last 5 years it has been from Colryut (a wonderful Belgian not quite supermarket), and has been French, fresh, and sub €50 for a 10kg turkey. As it was French, it got brined, and there were no giblets, so faffing about with chicken wings to make a decent gravy was necessary. This year there will be giblets (yay).
I could get a cheaper turkey, but I've been going to that particular butcher on and off since 1986, and if you don't use it, you lose it.
Have done the Tesco run (disappointing, as they don't do ready shredded cabbage and carrot for coleslaw), and I am not going to Waitrose tomorrow, as I like living too much. Another of the differences it will take some getting used to!
Right. have to kick ds to cook dinner as I've done the washing up, and then I have to play hunt the wrapping paper, and some stocking pressies, that I've unpacked but can't think where they are. If all else fails, people get them through the year as an extended Christmas treat!
From the Roger Bootle article in the DT, this struck me:
'The essential economic case for Brexit has still not sunk in among the commentariat. To listen to Remainers bemoaning our looming fate outside the EU, you would think that the union is a zone of stonking economic success. But it isn’t. It is mired in comparative economic failure. And the regulatory regime is one of the factors responsible. What’s more, the EU’s shortcomings are likely to intensify as it moves on to yet closer integration. Even if it means leaving without a trade deal, this is a bloc whose regulatory regime we should be itching to detach ourselves from, not aligning ourselves with.
Over the coming year, the Johnson government will be simultaneously trying to do trade deals with other countries, in particular the US. If it secures such deals but does not reach a trade agreement on tariff-free trade with the EU, then EU producers will suffer massive price competition in the UK market. While the price of goods imported into the UK from the rest of the world will fall, as tariffs on these goods are cut, the price of EU-produced goods imported into the UK will rise as tariffs are imposed. The consequence is that Continental producers of everything from cars to cheeses would be hit very hard. Perceiving this threat ahead of them, they are going to be putting huge pressure on their governments to do a deal with the UK.
All along, Remainers have under-estimated the strength of the Brexit case. Their thinking has been dominated by a perception of British weakness. In reality, the only weak thing about Britain’s position has been her government. Now the election result has transformed the political situation.
Remainers have undergone several shocks over the last few years, starting with the Brexit vote in 2016. I believe that they are soon going to experience another one. The Johnson government is going to succeed in doing trade deals with the EU and several other countries, and without preserving close regulatory alignment with the EU. And, what’s more, the UK economy is going to do exceedingly well. Happy Christmas.'
Or, the words of Monty Python 'Always look on the bright side of life'