Inconvenience Food

I wore my padded gilet for the first time today; the one with the fur around the collar. Actually I'd forgotten I had it because I'd emptied it out of the case and stuck it somewhere out of view, hardly able to imagine the time (and weather) would come that I'd need it.

Anyway, I put my hand into the zip-up pocket and found 26p and a receipt from Somerfield in Stockton Heath, where, it would seem, I'd been hastily purchasing some sort of convenience food for our dinner back in December. Some sort of roasting joint that comes with the herbs already sprinkled on the top, the sort you'd serve with a ready-washed salad after you'd gone to the hassle of chopping the tomatoes.

It's a different story in Australia, even in a big city like Sydney.

I remember e-mailing Jo before we arrived and her telling me one of the things she missed most about the UK was the ability to buy convenience food, especially from Marks and Spencer, "not that you serve it all the time, but just that some nights you're in late and the children want feeding, like NOW".

Here in Australia they cook much more from scratch, which is obviously good in the great scheme of things but I know where Jo was coming from because sometimes I'm running late and sometimes, well, I just can't really be arsed.

The other thing I notice is that so much of the food (and other stuff for that matter) is made in Australia, even the cardboard-like Weet-bix, which, as you can see from the writing on the box, is made by Aussies and loved by Aussies. It should probably read "made for Aussies" as well, because the poms hate it, as I've mentioned before. Everything proudly displays "made in Australia" just like we used to "buy British", though these days that seems increasingly difficult to achieve. Click on the photo - I don't think they could fit any more displays of patriotism onto the top of that box if they tried (and how dare they mention the cricket so early in the morning).

Anyway, on that note, tonight we're having John Dory fillets (New Zealand) which I've dipped in local eggs and then tossed in local breadcrumbs from the Bronte bakery, pan fried and served with Australian-grown vegges (sweet potato, carrots, red and yellow peppers) all chopped up and roasted in olive oil (Hunter Valley), a drizzle of Australian honey and a sprinkle of "outback spirit" (lemon myrtle, toasted sesame seeds, shredded coconut and chilli).

Oh yeah, and a ready-washed salad. I bloody love Sainsbury's.