As we’re talking Aldi and Lidl

[Pepper Pig Profile]

I've never been to Portugal so I'm not the one to answer Renee. They are jolly nice though.

[Sakkarin Profile]

Went to Aldi, and the lady at the till laughed at me because I only bought £2.31's worth of stuff. She was then completely unable to work out how to give me 9p's worth of change from £2.40 cash! I had to count it out for her penny by penny... ha thingy ha!

Then I popped into Homesense and I'm afraid I succumbed, as they had the sister volume to my Lonely Planet World's Best Street Food, Lonely Planet World's Best Bowl Food, for £4.00.

[Renee Profile]

Home Sense is full of temptations and I'm glad that it's about seven miles away and only go there if I need something and come out with more than I wanted! Your book was a good buy.

[Sakkarin Profile]

That "Bowl Food" book is a disappointment. I guess finding 100 proper bowlfoods was too difficult.

At one end they've included Porridge and Muesli, and at the other end Eton Mess and Kheer, and in the middle they've included soups, which includes Borscht, which I'd hardly call a "meal in a bowl", more of a palate cleanser.

Of the 100 recipes, I've made 41 in the past, most of them in the last year too, regular items in my diet.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Going back to Lidl, can I recommend their Floralys paper products?

Their premium (3 ply ) kitchen paper is the best of all IMHO, and I’ve just tried the bathroom tissue, will be sticking with it

All FSC certified

[Renee Profile]

That's good to know Sue!

What a shame about the bowl food book Sakkarin. I've looked at books and one or two recipes really jump out at me and when I get home, I decide that there's nothing really that I want to make.

[scullion Profile]

How do the pasteis de nata compare to the freshly bakes ones in Portugal?

some are very similar, the ones in the costa at the airport look exactly the same as the ones in the uk - although the ones from the niche coffee shop/bakery just along from the hotel we use are up a level or two. slightly less pastry, a little flatter and wider and a little more colour - and gorgeous. they're obviously made in their own bakery.

[Stokey Sue Profile]

The best we had in Portugal were on the breakfast buffet in the fairly smart hotel in Lisbon
I think “breakfast” may be relevant, they were still warm

[Renee Profile]

I seem to remember, on a visit to Portugal with family, the pasteis de nata were from a bakery on a market and they were warm. They were gorgeous!

[Pampy Profile]

Going back to Lidl, can I recommend their Floralys paper products?

Their premium (3 ply ) kitchen paper is the best of all IMHO, and I’ve just tried the bathroom tissue, will be sticking with it

All FSC certified

Their boxes of tissues are good too.

[PatsyMFagan Profile]

I seem to remember, on a visit to Portugal with family, the pasteis de nata were from a bakery on a market and they were warm. They were gorgeous!

My first experience of these was in Hong Kong in the '70's when I lived there... those and the freshly made coconut milk (sold in a grocer shop in the Wanchai district ) were my favourite sweet treats. Imagine my delight on discovering them next being sold in the Chinese bakery in Chinatown (London) .. I never could re-create the fresh, sweetened coconut milk though

[Sakkarin Profile]

You reminded me of my time working in Great Newport Street, I remember there was a Chinese bakery in Newport Court, opposite the Chinese Restaurant on the corner of Charing Cross Road that I mentioned recently, where there used to be a bloke making wontons every day.

Just took a "Google Streetview" trip round there, and I'm sad to see that most of the little Chinese groceries that I used to frequent have disappeared, there only seem to be 3 left, all the others have turned into restaurants. Mind you, it was nearly 40 years ago

[patpoyntz Profile]

This...
https://pasteisdebelem.pt/en/

Is where I first tasted them, and I’ve never had better...keep trying though!

[Sakkarin Profile]

That first pic looks like it's made out of layers of filo!

[smitch Profile]

This...
https://pasteisdebelem.pt/en/

Is where I first tasted them, and I’ve never had better...keep trying though!

I tried those on our recent trip to Lisbon. Skipped the huge line and just went to the takeaway part.

They were good, but I preferred these https://www.timeoutmarket.com/lisboa/en/eat-and-drink/manteigaria-fabrica-de-pasteis-de-nata/

They had a few branches dotted around the city.

Just bought a couple of the Lidl ones to try.

[WWordsworth Profile]

Harrisons gin from Aldi.
£15-ish for 70cl.
I'm not sure if it's their own label or not but it's deliciously herby and savoury.
Current favourite gin.

[Renee Profile]

Now that's the place to go Patpoyntz! I remember that the pastry was flaky.

The ones that you mentioned Smitch look the same as the ones that I bought. What did you think of the ones from Lidl?

[Stokey Sue Profile]

Harrisons gin from Aldi.
£15-ish for 70cl.
I'm not sure if it's their own label or not but it's deliciously herby and savoury.
Current favourite gin.

Interesting
I Googled, it is an Aldi own brand, and I thought the bottle looked a lot like Hendrick’s

This article thinks so too

https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2018/07/spot-the-difference-aldis-new-cucumber-gin-takes-on-hendricks/

But what is interesting to me is that it also mentions 58 Gin made in Hackney Downs, so pretty much on my doorstep That’s not an own brand, it’s available elsewhere and a bit more searching reveals that it’s a one man operation in a railway arch. But although it is in Hackney, it’ is by no stretch of the imagination really near the Downs, it’s about as far south as it can be. If I handy a longer walk though, it would be a good target to see if there is anything to see, they do have events there

[smitch Profile]

Now that's the place to go Patpoyntz! I remember that the pastry was flaky.

The ones that you mentioned Smitch look the same as the ones that I bought. What did you think of the ones from Lidl?

I really like the Lidl ones, Renee. I got one each and we both agreed they were the nicest ones we’ve had in the UK.

The tarts we got in Belem looked nothing like the ones on their website

[WWordsworth Profile]

The big downside with the Harrison gin is the very dark bottle.
I have no idea how much is left.