While in Dorset, we bought the most delicious organic cheddar cheese, hoping that it would survive several more weeks of travel, generally under refrigeration.
So far, we have been quite lucky, but then we arrived at the Imperial Hotel in Blackpool.
The concept of a mini-bar or in-room fridge was quite foreign there, and, one assumes, the Imperial kitchen has only recently allowed such new-fangled appliances into its domain. But no problem. Having dealt with this issue in the past, we assumed we could just put it on the window sill and let nature keep it nice and cool.
Not twenty minutes later, I heard a commotion at the window and saw a sea gull trying to lift the cheese bag. I reached out and had a tussle with him (must have been a him), which I finally won. Cheese 1; Gull 0.
But memories are quite long and strong among the seagull species, it seems. After that epic battle, we were stalked by a very determined gull, who could now see the cheese on the other side of the window, but who no longer had access to it.
We had to leave town to get away from him, so we hopped on the train to Scotland, where we are taking refuge among the smiling but very-hard-to-understand Glaswegians. Fireworks are going off all over to celebrate Guy Fawkes Day and to rail against the poor Catholics. It is far more foreign than Portugal! We are happy to be back here, with enough time to do it justice.
Don’s Food Corner
A restaurant near the hotel billed itself as a “Scottish Restaurant and Bar.” Normally, this would give us a little pause. But the menu looked interesting and they were having their special steak night — Scottish beef sirloin for two plus a bottle of wine for a total cost of $35. We’re in. The steaks were a treat and nicely grilled without being dried out. We started with a plate of grilled scallops with a tasty curry sauce. Again, very nicely done.
And for dessert we decided to continue our taste test of sticky toffee pudding with a caramel sauce and ice cream. The version here was lighter and more cake-like than what we’ve tasted on our earlier encounters, but we polished it off nonetheless. A great introduction to Glasgow cuisine.
(Note: The prize for all-around best sticky toffee pudding in the UK is still being held by a little woman in London, whose STP hasn’t been beaten yet, though we are trying to be polite to the Scots…JB)
OMG! How well you know me. I admire your courage in the face of adversity. Had that been me I would still be resting comfortably in the nearest trauma unit.
Sorry you had to see that, but we had to share!
See, we warned you about going to Blackpool. If the locals weren’t out to get you, the birds were. Those gulls are trained to kill. I’m sure you’d make a fine replacement for Tippi Hedren, but a remake of The Birds is not going to work in a Lancashire setting.
See how far I would go for a nice round of cheddar? No bird was going to take that away, and thank goodness I was able to close the window before he could get in!!!!