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In Awe of Onions

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby Suffs » Fri Jul 24, 2020 11:36 am

Who remembers those jars of tiny pickled cocktail onions for a proper Dry martini ?

I expect there are still some lurking somewhere in W’rose .... along with the maraschino cherries and cocktail sticks.

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby Earthmaiden » Fri Jul 24, 2020 11:39 am

Lovely!! (especially the maraschino cherries which are rather nice eaten from the jar in greedy quantities :lol: :yum).

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby Stokey Sue » Fri Jul 24, 2020 11:39 am

They were and still are made by Noëls - both onions and cherries
Isn’t it a Gibson once you add an onion?

Prefer mine straight up with a twist (of lemon peel) as my dad made them

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby Amber » Fri Jul 24, 2020 11:58 pm

(especially the maraschino cherries which are rather nice eaten from the jar in greedy quantities :lol: :yum).


So it’s not just me? :oops: :lol:

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby Renee » Sat Jul 25, 2020 10:31 am

:lol: No it's not just you Amber! These days I might be worrying about the artificial colouring. How times have changed!

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby aero280 » Sat Jul 25, 2020 10:47 am

I used to buy borretane onions from The Tesco self-serve section. I quite liked them, but OH didn’t. In the end, I somehow stopped buying them, probably because I found it nicest to shop there very late, which was after after the deli counter had closed. I must go and see if they still have them.

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby Lusciouslush » Sat Jul 25, 2020 11:04 am

Why did those bags of frozen peeled tiny onions disappear? They were very handy to have in - but I haven't seen them anywhere for a hellava long time now.

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby Stokey Sue » Sat Jul 25, 2020 12:40 pm

We’ve discussed this before Lush

I have a pack in my freezer branded Waitrose and delivered by Ocado but I think they are really the French Picard, both Waitrose and Ocado flirt with Picard off and on and I’m not sure if they are currently available, I’ve had these a while

Other than that they seem to be available from catering suppliers only

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby Pampy » Sat Jul 25, 2020 1:38 pm


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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby mark111757 » Sun Jul 26, 2020 9:48 pm

There was a James martin recipe that called for roscoff onions. I did a start page search and found these

https://www.melissas.com/Roscoff-Pink-Onions-p/1507.htm

https://www.adaptiveseeds.com/product/v ... l-organic/

No onions as such but seed opportunities

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby Stokey Sue » Sun Jul 26, 2020 10:11 pm

Roscoff onions used to arrive like this when I was a child, sold in strings by Breton men on bicycles, they went door to door

I think people believe it’s a myth, but I lived within cycling distance of the ferry ports

Image

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby karadekoolaid » Sun Jul 26, 2020 11:22 pm

Woo hoo! We got them in Kent, too!
It´s a long ride from Dover to Bearsted, but they still came.

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby Earthmaiden » Sun Jul 26, 2020 11:43 pm

I lived near Camberley in Surrey for a short while. We had one visit there (not very near a port!).

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby Stokey Sue » Sun Jul 26, 2020 11:45 pm

Prosaically, I think after the first few years there were back up vans containing extra onions and overnight bags. Probably sleeping bags too

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby scullion » Mon Jul 27, 2020 1:38 am

hahahaha - we had them in north herts, too, in the early/mid sixties. even further from a ferry.
i may be misremembering that they had berets and stripes jumpers...

seems like i didn't misremember.

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby Stokey Sue » Mon Jul 27, 2020 1:45 am

I picked the photo as that’s exactly how I remember them - 50/50 caps and berets, worn woollen jackets, sometimes blue workwear, never remember the striped tops which are more sailor’s costume than farmers I think

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby halfateabag » Mon Jul 27, 2020 7:32 am

When we were in Roscoff some years ago, I bought these red onions and was chatting to the lady I bought them from and she told us her father used to come to Britain with a truck load of them and a bicycle on top and sell them from his bike. They were nice onions but not as sweet at the Greek one. I only have half left and am saving it for chopped garnish over the fava hummus on Wed.

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby Earthmaiden » Mon Jul 27, 2020 10:29 am

The picture is just as I remember them too (though some men were considerably older I think). I suppose it must have been worth their while but wonder if they really made that much money. I have a recollection of them being quite expensive but being thought of as special. I don't think my mother ever bought them.

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby Suffs » Mon Jul 27, 2020 10:48 am

As some of you know my brother grows a few onions http://www.suffolkproduce.co.uk/onions.html

Awesome indeed.

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Re: In Awe of Onions

Postby Earthmaiden » Mon Jul 27, 2020 10:57 am

Lovely, Suffs! No wonder we rarely see the Frenchmen on bicycles any more ;) !

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