🏘️ Archers thread #129: Casey, Macy, Lily, Alice – Decent types or full of malice? Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads, which has now passed 125,000 posts! (See below for further details.)

All views on The Archers welcome here! New blood welcomed. We don't all agree on all points and most of us are posting tongue in cheek a lot of the time, so don't worry about revealing that you lust after Russ, or other unusual things.

Spoilers: not on this thread, please. We don't wait for the omnibus to discuss the weeknight episodes, but we do try our best to avoid cross-contamination from www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/4197199--The-Archers-spoilers-thread-6-Cant-wait-for-7-02pm-Join-us-here, where spoilers are positively welcomed!

For newer listeners, lurkers or those who just have no idea what we're talking about, @DadDadDad has created this useful thread: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/radio_addicts/3557323-For-Archers-fans-a-guide-to-acronyms-on-the-long-running-discussion-threads-and-any-other-meta-thread-questions-you-may-have - BOOP point for him! (See thread for explanation.)

For the thread title I was very tempted to go with @R4's title suggestion of Come follow the exploits of Brine, Lily, Elizabeth, Usha, Ruari, George and Helen. Know collectively as bleurgh. because on the last thread @DadDadDad, our invaluable statistician, identified a post from @ILoveShula as the 125,000th. Many of us felt it was fitting that the post simply said Bleurgh!.

However, feeling that was a bit niche for the casual listener, I adapted @MayIDestroyYou's title suggestion in the end. Thanks, MIDY!

Back to Ambridge this week, after our enjoyable sojourn at Lower Loxley last week! Will we go with Alice to rehab? (Hope not.) Will the petulant Adam make good his threat to leave Home Farm? (Hope so.) What will Jennifer say? (Lots, I hope, and preferably to Brian.) Will the fete be a triumph? (Of course it will.) Will we ever return to Brookfield, or have they all fallen unnoticed into the slurry pit? (Let's hope Pip did, anyway.) WHERE IS PAT? (Can't answer this one.)

Over to you!

Parsnip lasagne sounds disgusting.
It does. I do, however, make a parsnip/pasta dish sometimes. It sounds weird but is actually divine. I got the recipe from Gordon Ramsey but, seeing that I can't find his version, here's Jamie's.

I'm still waiting for the planning department to take enforcement action against emma&ed, in reality would be a slow process but I'd have thought the carvan would be unlikely to get planning permission (im a planner) and i doubut Emma could have submitted the application herself so would need to get a planning agent.

@Roysnewshirt

Parsnip lasagne sounds disgusting.

Bit too convenient for me that within 48 hours of Kyle being revealed as the neighbour from hell, he is spotted having an illicit liaison in his spare bedroom. It usually takes years for such retribution to materialise - if it ever does. Now this little SL has all been neatly wrapped up within a week. I’m glad though as it had the potential to be very tedious if strung out.

I was expecting Helen to say to Lee how she regrets that the sale of Bridge Farm has allowed people like Kyle into her life. I still don’t believe she would be happy renting on an estate but at some point I suppose I will have to let that go.

Exactly; a very clichéd way to wrap up with indecent haste what could have been a good story line if the SWs had some imagination.

Parsnip Lasagne! Bleurgh!

Gavin Moss? I had always imagined him to look like Kaleb from Clarkson's Farm.

Welcome back DadDadDad.

R4, I had a look at the recipe and it has bacon in it, which probably saves it.

I'm not keen on past a or parsnip and the thought of them together with an oily or cheesy sauce isn't great.

The Alice storyline makes me think of Rachel’s Holiday, the Myriam Keyes book. I’d recommend it if you haven’t read it.

The lasagne sheets would be replaced with slices of just-cooked parsnip

To be fair to @TheSilveryPussycat, the parsnips would replace the pasta, not be used in addition to. This would be better and make the dish more of a healthy option but still not right for me. Although it’s the sort of thing someone might do on Masterchef and Greg shouts ‘Cor- I’ve never had parsnip lasagne before but that’s (insert whichever superlative he hasn’t used to judge previous contestant)…’

I agree @ILoveShula that everything is improved by bacon…

@Prestissimo

The Alice storyline makes me think of Rachel’s Holiday, the Myriam Keyes book. I’d recommend it if you haven’t read it.

And if you like Marion Keyes you should watch This Way Up with Sharon Horgan and Aisling Bea - the way they talk is like all the characters in Marion Keyes's books put together. I could listen to them all day.

@TheSilveryPussycat

The lasagne sheets would be replaced with slices of just-cooked parsnip.

silverypussycat You recognised what I thought the greatest failing would be - parsnips are lovely, but they have too many carbs to need pasta adding.

used a carrot cake recipe, substituted grated beetroot for carrot and bananas for sultanas. I remember serving a date and walnut cake which had hazelnuts instead of walnuts, and apricots instead of dates. Quite an improvement (especially for an apricot lover).

Now this little SL has all been neatly wrapped up within a week. It was the comic relief, wasn't it? They often have a serious story pitched against a comic relief story in case the listeners can't cope with 12 minutes of gloom.

@Roysnewshirt, I don't think I intended to give that impression as I don't like bacon but it would affect the taste of the dish.

Yes @CaptainMyCaptain I love that podcast!
Not sure who my phone thinks Myriam Keyes is!?

Aargh and my brain not working either. I’m off back to work

@Prestissimo

Yes *@CaptainMyCaptain* I love that podcast! Not sure who my phone thinks Myriam Keyes is!?

I didn't know about the podcast, I was thinking of the Channel 4 TV series . I will now look for the podcast too.

I shall wait forever to discover how Alice made her way back to Ambridge, a four-hour minimum trip by car. Did she catch a train? Take a cab? Hitch-hike? Did she sign herself out on the second day and then spend ten days walking home, sleeping in hedges on the way?

@MereDintofPandiculation

How far into her old age does Jenny need to be seen? She’s already over seventy. Over 70? Most of the over 70s I know are busy running specialist museums and heritage railways, arranging musical performances and workshops, doing the necessary civic work that everyone feels needs new and younger blood but no-one's willing to take on, working on conservation projects, maintaining local parks, raising money for local facilities, cave exploration. If you've survived into your seventies in good health, your remaining life expectancy takes you far beyond the birth life expectancy of 82.

Forgive me, neither of my parents made it anywhere near seventy and only one grandparent got that far, so my perspective may be skewed. But my point was that Jenny has had all but one of her children geographically close to her up to her seventies so she’s already reached a good age with them nearby- maybe I’m not clear about what is meant by “seeing someone into their old age”?

Just saw that @Edmontine explained that upthread, I see what you mean. Perhaps Jenny’s problem is that she IS so vigorous and capable that nobody can quite picture her as a helpless old woman, so her children would not consider moving away to be of practical detriment to her, only emotional - especially given that her mother is still remarkably independent at over 100!

given that her mother is still remarkably independent at over 100
Peggy's actor is over 100, but the character is 'only' 96, I think.

@AskingQuestionsAllTheTime

I shall wait forever to discover how Alice made her way back to Ambridge, a four-hour minimum trip by car. Did she catch a train? Take a cab? Hitch-hike? Did she sign herself out on the second day and then spend ten days walking home, sleeping in hedges on the way?

Chartered a helicopter?

Maybe Alice commandeered Eddie's limo.

@theThreeofWeevils

given that her mother is still remarkably independent at over 100 Peggy's actor is over 100, but the character is 'only' 96, I think.

Good point, there is no way Peggy would have had a hundredth birthday without it being a massive deal on air. June Spencer is bloody amazing but I think maybe we’d be lucky to have her still around to do that aged 106!

I have belatedly googled parsnip lasagne recipes.

Bleurgh!

Parsnip bake might be less offputting. I like parsnips. Delia Smith's parsnip roulade is very good.

So Ruairi is off to London if he gets the grades. UCL, KCL, LSE, Imperial, QMC, Goldsmiths, City, Westminster, somewhere else? Subject?

Has TA ever had anyone proceed to Art School, or a conservatoire? I remember Sophie disappeared to study (?) Fashion / Design. Has there ever even been a professional gardener? (Disappeared Tree Surgeon possibly doesn't count.)

Not that I can recall. Russ may have a Fine Art degree, but if he taught Art he could have gone for a B.Ed.

Fallon did some sort of music course - was it music production?

Bleurgh! indeed.

Parsnips aren't great. Maybe occasionally roasted but by occasionally I mean once every few years.

I love Carrots, but they need to be boiled.

Not a root vegetable person, @ILoveShula? I've just had a happy few minutes browsing parsnip lasagne recipes. The worst I saw had layers of mashed butternut squash, boiled parsnip slices, lasagne and bechamel. There may have been cheese too, but no, just no.

OTOH, I did quite like the look of the ones that are basically assorted root veg in a red wine and tomato sauce, especially where the veg were roasted first, layered with lasagne and a ricotta/Mozzarella/Parmesan mixture. I make something very like that with aubergines, courgettes and peppers instead of the root veg, and spinach in the ricotta mixture.