Fishy times

Things have been getting very fishy of late. It began on Wednesday, when the Fox made some Aberdeen Eggs - Scotch eggs with a kippery mix encasing the egg rather than sausagemeat. It tended to disintegrate a bit - the kippery mix was very soft, so we shallow fried them to be on the safe side - but they tasted delicious. The egg was lightly boiled so it just oozed out when you cut into it.

Then yesterday, as we had some kippers left, I made some kipper & egg filled jacket potatoes. Similar ingredients, same accompaniments, & yet it tasted so different.

How come we had some kippers left? Readers of our blogs will know we often have a Kipper & Egg Kedgeree - one of the Fox's regular Sunday culinary offerings. We always use John West tinned kippers. 

I'm convinced the thing that deters most people from eating more fish is the bones. I was fortunate. In my childhood, we usually went to the Isle of Man for our holidays. And what else can you have there for breakfast but Manx kippers? My mother loved them. When I was very little she carefully took the backbone out for me. As I grew older she taught me how to do it for myself. Then we discovered these tinned kippers so we could have kippers at other times of the year too &, what is more, any bones were so soft as to be unnoticeable. When I met the Fox I duly introduced him to these tinned delights & I'm glad to say he loved them too. So much nicer than the frozen ones. I suppose I have to confess that the texture is maybe better on the true Manx kipper - though that could be just my memory since it's a long time since I had them fresh - but the tinned are tasty & easy. So it is we used half a tin in the first meal, & half in the second.

By way of a change, today I've been busy making a fish pie with a mixture of haddock, salmon, naturally smoked haddock from our local smokehouse & prawns. I'm really looking forward to eating it this evening. I sometimes think we could very happily live on fish all the time, especially if there were a few eggs too.

But all of this is avoiding saying what I may not have another chance too. I anticipate tomorrow being a busy day as I want to get my Sunday chores  - bed changing, sorting out the washing, emptying out the airing cupboards & putting the clean clothes away in drawers & wardrobes - done tomorrow. and first I will have to start with this week's ironing. All that is to say I fear I may not have opportunity to sit down & write tomorrow., so I'll say now   

  Happy Christmas all my readers

I hope you all have a wonderful day.

 Happy Christmas indeed