A quick way to replace those calories burned from the wilful effort of cycling is to start eating mince pies.
We all know they are not really supposed to be eaten until December, although the shops start selling them by the pallet load from early October.
I'm pretty good at tuning out the bright red aisles until at least after the new Beaujolais arrives in mid November, so it is unusual to have mince pies in the house this early.
These mince pies are by Heston Blumenthal, the well known experimental chef. Last year he produced a type of Christmas pudding that sold out everywhere in a stampedes of wild adulation, but I'm less convinced about this year's project.
Now I didn't actually buy them, and don't want to sound ungrateful, but I am slightly confused. Firstly, they are square instead of round. Maybe that's why the box doesn't show a picture of them. Secondly, they are made of puff pastry. Thirdly the filling is rather more of a smear than a dollop. Then the pastry itself is a little rubbery to cut with the edge of a fork. The 'pine sugar' has a pine zing when its tipped from the packet but doesn't really offset what I'd describe as a poorly executed Eccles cake.
That'll be another 15 minutes on the bike.
5 comments:
So, in other words you ate it anyway?? LOL! I don't know what an Eccles Cake is---Is that British, my dear....I will Google, right now.
I'm sure Christmas is getting earlier and earlier each year! I'm not a fan of mince pies though.
Naomi : the real Eccles cakes are quite a delicious specialty of a certain area - although they are widely available in the UK. Sometimes with the nickname 'squashed fly cakes'. Hmmm.
Nikki-ann: I first noticed Christmas stuff being prepared back in September when I saw someone counting out snowman carrier bags. Also the Pimlico Plumbers building on the way into Waterloo already has the Santa and Snowmen around the top.
I don't know what an Eccles Cake is, either [sigh, I don't get out much]
I'll have to try these mince pies (or whatever the equivalent is in Canada...) My grandmother made mince meat pies for Christmas every year (Brit) and I loved them. Most of my family didn't, though :)
Thanks for popping by my blog and saying hi... Hope you are doing great!
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