Archers thread #177: Will Bridge Farm get a PassiveAggressivHaus? Discuss The Archers here.

[Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g]

Thank you, @PseudoBadger, for kicking off this long, long series of Archers threads.

All views on The Archers welcome here! New blood welcomed, and of course we are always delighted to welcome back former or occasional listeners/posters. We don't all agree on all points, although we do mostly try to be civil about it. Most of us are posting tongue in cheek a lot of the time, so don't worry about revealing that you'd love to have a moribund camper van parked indefinitely outside your home, or other unusual views.

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 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/radio_addicts/4636789-the-archers-spoilers-thread-7-cant-wait-for-702pm-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.)

Over to you!

You just make pumpkin mash and use same weight as the can - that’s what I did the only time I made it and it won rave reviews from my American guests

Pumpkin pie filling is like a spiced custard made with pureed pumpkins - it needs eggs.
Its not difficult.

But not worth the effort.

You boil the pumpkin in chunks until it's soft in the same way as you do for mashed turnip or mashed potatoes, then put it through a sieve or in a blender.

It's not worth the effort. It produces a pudding that tastes as beige as it looks- with a slightly slimy texture.

Curried pumpkin makes a lovely, smooth soup but it's meh as a pudding.

I assume pumpkin pie is sweetened? I've only ever eaten pumpkin (always pronounced pung-kin in this house) as a roast vegetable, or in the wonderful Austrian (or possibly German, I expect they argue over it) Kürbiscremesuppe. A couple of years ago the local greengrocer gave me the innards of a couple of pumpkins that they'd carved out for Halloween, and we ate little else for a week!

Pumpkin pie is sweet. It's OK but I prefer pumpkin roast or made into soup, stew etc.

Yes it's sweetened. It's pumpkin purée, eggs, cream, sugar and cinnamon and nutmeg.You need masses of cinnamon and nutmeg to make it taste of anything.

Pumpkin soup is much nicer as it's got onion, curry powder, tomato purée and stock to add flavour.

Of course it's got cinnamon! It's an American recipe! Don't get me wrong, I like cinnamon, but it needs to Know Its Place, and its place is not "in everything".

I make pumpkin soup as a curried soup but pumpkin puréed in vegetable or chicken stock will work as a herby soup, if you want to add herbs, or a cheesey soup if you add a hard cheese or a soft goat's cheese.

The texture in soup is very silky, like vichyssoise, but as a pud, it's slimy.

A pumpkin pie can be a very lovely thing, with the right spices, and made with fresh pumpkin (rather than from a tin). If I make it, it's usually with leftover Hallowe'en pumpkin. This year's pumpkin was too small to be made into anything, especially since I left it sitting out longer than usual, so it went a bit...limp...

Surely, Mick just needs a wee bit of Santa coaching? Maybe Fallon can help?

Helen stabbed Rob in 2016??? I can’t believe it was so long ago! Although contrarily I can easily accept that Jack is about 8, so of course it must be.

Oh lord. I listened to the arrival of the strangers at Jakob’s and the quite unbelievable way that he just let them stay, but having read here that it morphed into thanksgiving (alongside scam week teachings) I’m going to skip the omnibus entirely and hope for better next week

@DadDadDad I am intrigued, what was the New Smiley discussion you mentioned? Oh just thought, was it something on Mumsnet, rather than an edict about Archers having to smile while speaking?

@WombatCowgirl - when we got to our 50th thread, MNHQ offered us the chance to choose our own emoji / smiley (I think we used to call them that, but the term has dropped out of use). There was much debate, and that's how we got this -> (type [ archers ] without the spaces inside the [ ]) - it's meant to represent The Bull pub sign, and be a symbol of the community spirit (I think) on these threads. At the rate we are going, we should reach 200 threads around the 10th anniversary of the Helen / Rob story climax, so maybe MNHQ will grant us another emoji then!

The place for cinnamon is not in anything at all.
(I will accept it as part of mixed spice.)

Robert- " Hi Emma please come to the council meeting"- " Sorry Emma you had better not come to the council meeting".
Feel sorry for Mick if his whole life ambition is to play Father Christmas.🎅

Mick is a character that I resent because he's taking up air time that could be used by one of a dozen established characters. He adds nothing to The Archers.

It’s sad to hear Emma sounding so cowed and full of shame. Wish she'd go into the Parish Council, meeting all guns blazing, "How dare someone accuse me of something the Police didn't see fit to charge me with! I'm Neil Carter's daughter - integrity is in my DNA!"

Oh ffs, just say to Mick ‘actually I think your normal voice is better’. Kenton is such a coward isn’t he? Always hiding behind Jolene’s skirts.

Poor Emma ☹️

And I bet it was Harrison!

Thanks for the stats @DadDadDad - good to have a bit of relective nostalgia after such a dire week to remind me why I bother to keep listening. Thankfully it looks as if Scam Week is over and done with (though the SWs did slip in a mention of Jim bonding with the fellow historian). I'm hoping normal service can resume - seasonal events at The Bull, turkeys (and presumably increased holly and mistletoe sales with Ed and Em's new business), Deck the Hall (I love to picture the characters chatting over a hot chocolate round the ice rink), the Christmas lights switch on round The Green, the crib service with animals at St Stephen's (maybe Shula could make a silent return for that or Alice could lead in the donkey), the Christmas tree going up on Christmas Eve at Bridge Farm and some short scenes in Underwoods Food Hall or just general Christmas shopping in the kind of department store that no longer really exists outside London. I don't require any big plots or themes - just the theme of Ambridge and Borsetshire. I want to feel as if I'm really there with the people who actually live in Ambridge - not in a recording studio in Birmingham with non-cast members reading their scripts.

As a contrast to the ridiculous scam holiday storyline I think that a complaint having been made about Emma's suitability to be on the parish council is quite realistic, I can well imagine that happening in my village. Even if no charges were brought everyone will know that she covered up for George and it will be hard for her to shake that off. Will be interesting to hear what the outcome will be.

<aside> i make pumpkin pie very occasionally. Pumpkin puree with the usual "pumkin spice" suspects, but i also mix in mincemeat (as in mince pie fillling) and it is lovely. </aside>

I want to smack Jolene and Kenton (since it's "American week") upside the head. Just. Say. The. Words. To. Mick.

And yes, i feel that Emma needs to make one visit to the parish council, point out that people are talking behind her back and that is never good, and that since the police found nothing to charge her with, they need to look deep inside themselves and think what they would do in her situation.

Then leave.

But Robert didn’t say that. He was still trying to persuade Emma to come even after he’d told her about the complaint.

I thought last night was good, pleased to feature something as “core” as the parish council. Pleased Emma was persuaded to go back. Like PP very believable someone made a complaint.

Completely believable someone made a complaint - Emma's best answer to her critics would be to continue to get stuck in at the council (rather than sloping off in embarrassment). All this talk of Americans and pumpkin pies is making this feel like Joe/Hunter Biden analogy with Ambridge Parish Council instead of the White House😂Stand your ground Emma - it's unlikely any of the moaners have ever lifted a finger themselves in public service.