A big thank you to those who voted for Brexit

Mamie

Dinahmo you need to go to Lidl. You can buy Spanish, Italian, Chilean and South African wine. All very good and excellent prices. Our medium sized supermarkets have an increasingly good range of Cava.
We have sourced horseradish from Amazon.de and most spices seem to be online. Brinjal pickle is the big problem.
If people think we should eat nothing but French food they they might want to think about cutting out everything except British food.

I do go to LIDL - there's a large one at Thiviers. We drink a lot of wine (too much probably) there really is very little from other countries. There's always Cava as well as Prosecco.

If people cut out everything except British food there would be very little choice left. Luckily, as a nation we are more adventurous than most other countries and are open to a wide variety of cuisines.

We belong to a social network in our village and before confinement there were occasional repas' with different themes. I and a friend cooked a British meal with steak and kidney pie as the main course. One of the side dishes was meant to be finely sliced cabbage, blanched and then finished off with fried lardons and chestnuts. I had explained our intentions to our French helpers but when I returned to the hall after lunch I found that they had just quartered the cabbages and they were boiling them in large vats. It reminded me of arriving at school when the cabbage was boiling away at 9.00am.

Even more unfortunate was the electricty supply cutting out and the box was in a locked room and nobody had a key. Luckily the hob on the oven was gas but we all had to take a pie or two home to cook.

The starter and dessert were cold so that wasn't a problem and the dinner was enjoyed by everyone. I'm always pleased when we can prove to the French that us Brits can cook.

Apologies for rambling on but once I get going.......

“So it turns out - yes - Brexit IS destroying industries and IS creating massive job losses, Brexit IS breaking up of the UK, workers rights ARE being taken away, environmental protections ARE being binned.

Can anyone think of a Brexit Promise that is actually being kept?”

Gosh what a lot of sour pusses cheer up nearly spring and I have a yellow bud on my rose bush?

In answer to the OP - you're most welcome

Dinahmo DH recommends the South African Chardonnay and the Chilean red from Lidl at the moment. ?
We have also been using an online supplier of Spanish wine, I can send the details if you pm me.
I think people who don't live here don't realise how very regional French cuisine is. I do like chicken / pork / veal in cider with cream and apples, but not at every meal out. The other local favourites, tripe and rice pudding are definitely not my thing. I am even grateful to lockdown not to have to eat all those roi de galettes (not regional I know).

I would be the last to decry British produce and think we have superb quality and variety in so many areas. Indeed I may be forced to put my money where my mouth is if imports are to be disrupted.
But if I lived in France or Germany or Italy I would revel in the wonderful array of local specialities! In fact looking back when I worked in both France and Germany and studied in Switzerland, eating like the locals was a big part of the charm.

I was told that when M&S had a store in Paris, one of their top sellers was (British) sliced white bread. I do ask myself why!
Is it culinary nostalgia for “home” ?

I think some of the traditional French cuisine for festive times is best avoided too - our lovely local restaurant has been doing proper meal take aways during lockdown - he also did a lovely Christmas Day menu - however for New Year his offering was - Ris de Veau! The option was not to our taste either so we passed on that!.
The speciality here is confit which is usually readily available to buy. I think that may change slightly though as they have needed to cull some flocks due to avian flu.

Vivvy

Gosh what a lot of sour pusses cheer up nearly spring and I have a yellow bud on my rose bush?

How about me saying "what a lot of rude, uneducated people." There would soon be complaints, I feel.

It is not "sour" to say you don't agree with things you don't agree with, or pointing out things you see as wrong. It's called a discussion. Does name calling improve the discussion - no. How about telling us where Whitewave is wrong in her post above yours Vivvy, and giving us reasons to be cheerful?

I'm very amused by your cabbage story, DinahMo

But the French are surprisingly bad at vegetables I find.

Mind you, my only real experience of French veg is in Normandy restaurants, so perhaps they do them better in a domestic setting, or in other parts of France. The supermarkets always have a really nice selection.... but clearly not for people eating out...

I'm always pleased when we can prove to the French that us Brits can cook.

We made the acquaintance of a French family one year and invited them over for a meal. They were enchanted with blackberry and apple crumble!

MaizieD
I also had a French family for Sunday dinner a few years ago, and did a roast beef and Yorkshire pudding with veggies. They really loved the Yorkie puds, (especially their
young son) so i had to write the recipe out for them to take home.

Wow this thread has turned to vegetables!

We have great vegetables here in winter- love fennel, celeriac, chicory, all sorts of cabbages and broccoli, etc- Our local markets and supermarkets have massive choice (in France) - not quite the point of this thread though.

You're right - it's not the point of this thread but a slight diversion.

No problem with the vegetables here in Normandy (and we grow a lot ourselves), pork and chicken excellent, lamb good but very expensive and beef frequently disappointing. Dairy and fish are good. The problem is with the limited range of dishes served in restaurants and the absence of other cuisines. I guess if you are in Paris or other large cities you get lots of dishes from every region, but not here.

It wouldn't be right to think that all us migrants in Europe are desperately missing traditional British food btw. The biggest complaint about M and S in Paris was the lack of curry boxes and my biggest problem has been sourcing brinjal pickle. ?

Just for you, Mamie
www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/aubergine-pickle
From the British Broadcasting Corporation

Thank you Callistemon. I should have made it with this year's aubergine crop. I have a big jar of tamarind and all other ingredients except curry leaves. No malt vinegar here I think but I am sure Normandy apple cider vinegar would do.
Needs must. ?

Good veg here too. Some of the basic veg that I ate more of in the UK is super expensive. Parsnips, a fiver for about 4 medium ones. I think not.

I prefer cider vinegar Mamie and I hope it does the job just as well.

Come back Lemon grove. It all makes sense now all the folk that are moaning about Brexit live in Europe. No wonder they are moaning. Tough.

Nobody is moaning, Sunny82z. People are pointing out difficulties. We actually want to hold this government to account. And we sincerely hope that we won't have to wait too long to 'prosper mightily'. It seems as if many leave voters are offended when we raise issues that are causing difficulties to individuals or whole sections of society. Instead of pointing out real tangible benefits of leaving the EU leave voters resort to calling us 'moaners'.
Please, I really do want to know how my life is going to improve, what new benefits I'll now be able to enjoy. Surely, there must be some. Can you help?

Sunny82z

Come back Lemon grove. It all makes sense now all the folk that are moaning about Brexit live in Europe. No wonder they are moaning. Tough.

None of us are moaning about life in Europe merely discussing fruit and veg and cooking. I have to say that my life in France is much better than my life in England would be at the moment and I suspect others who live here or other parts of the EU would agree with me.

Dinahmo a French friend was eating with us and complimented my husband on his delicious cabbage. When she asked how he cooked it she was most surprised to hear it wasn't cooked twice to 'prevent wind'.
I agree that generally the French are not fond of vegetables and tend to overcook them.

You are moaning about Brexit and folk that voted for it. I had a holiday home in two different parts of France for some 15 years and I certainly wouldn't want to be there now. You can't live in a continental country and complain bitterly about those that live in the UK and decided they wanted out. I imagine the 2016 vote and us leaving the EU has enormous problems for you but your choice to live there, Mr and Mrs Joe Bloggs in Halifax didn't feel the need to consider ex-pats when they voted leave and why should they?

So pleased to hear that you enjoyed 15 years holidaying in France but are now quite happy to make it difficult for someone like me to do the same. Mind you, it must have been 15 years of hell for you.