Saturday Part Two

We have been fortunate in the weather today no rain, the sun has been out and it has been a lot warmer and the sap feels as though it has risen on the barometer - Spring Fever.  When I get Spring Fever which I do every year I end up craving fresher lighter food especially after the substantial meals of the winter months.

After going to the Pasta shop OH and I did a detour and went to a new Lidl store that had been built at Werrington which is a lot bigger than our normal store off of Westfield Road.  It was new, bigger, and not as squashed but the store had no soul no identity.  Everything was set out in pristine fashion but the feeling was clinical and dead and this computerised advertising tannoy kept speaking out.  They had not got half the bays filled.  The staff were trying to load up and blocking the gangways to get by with shoppers and their trolleys which was causing congestion.  For the size of the store there was not enough staff and to tell you the truth I was not impressed with some of the produce they had finding it much better quality at my original store.  It was an experience but I do not think I shall be gracing their shop again.  I will return to my usual store as despite being a lot smaller it has an identity.

I was looking for fresh herbs  - I was not impressed with the quality of the ones that they had in stock and so did not buy any. I adore fresh thyme, basil, oregano, marjoram as they give extra flavour to a meal.   I use thyme an awful lot anyway.  I did buy chestnut mushrooms, Portobello mushrooms and some miniature mushrooms so that I can make garlic mushrooms, and do a hot salad dressing with some of the other mushrooms

I got a good bargain with Persil soap powder and some fresh asparagus and one or two other bits of veg that I cannot get locally like Asparagus, Rocket, and Kale but for the best part I did not get much although I did stock up on nuts I have bought Brazil Nuts, Pecan Nuts and some Salted Pistachios.

Well I did make it to the veg shop and I stocked up with plenty of good stuff so that we can have fresher type meals during the week to come.  I have red and yellow peppers, courgettes, cauliflowers for cauliflower cheese, a tray of eggs, so plenty of options here, plums red and yellow plums for OH, bananas, apples, tomatoes, celery, lettuce mixed salad leaves, apples, two types, grapes mangoes and lemons, water melon, Ogen melon (we already have a Sundew).  I also bought new garlic (I use a lot of garlic in cooking. 

I have also been up to Waitrose specifically on the herb front and I have found what I needed plus some herb plants for the back garden.  I have already ordered some wild strawberry plants for the garden too.  Needless to say one or two other things found their way into my basket but that is par for the course.  I also bought some fresh mussels to be cooked in wine, butter and garlic and then served up with wedges of thick bread and butter.  Yum.  A Big favourite here.

So I am all stocked up again for a little while and lots of good eating to be had in the next week or so.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

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