Sunday 27th December 2020

Blog No.128.

Now Mistress Lucy is no cook when it comes to cuisine but i will only cook for myself if I’m experimenting (i never know what is going to turn out like).

Everyone jokes about Brussel sprouts but me, I love them and i try to experiment with different ways to have them.

I went out shopping at Tesco’s on 23rd December (before everything had completely sold out). I normally get Tesco delivery but fancied some naughty chocolates etc for the festive time alone with my kitties.

As I browse, I always have a strange way of working out what i want to buy. I see what my taste buds are telling me. I see something then think of what it taste like last time i ate it. If it brings back good memories then I buy it or if It brings back bad memories I put it back.

As walking down the vegetable isle I see Brussel Sprouts. Now I haven’t had brussels for a long, long time. They actually brought fond memories of my grandma back.

She would sit at the kitchen table in our old house in London (big corner plot Victorian house). The rooms had tall ceilings. The kitchen had double doors that opened into the front room to make it one room if need be.

I can picture her in mind right now as I tell you about her. She lived in North London and we were in South London. She would visit us for 2 – 3 weeks at a time. Funny nanny. Things she would do would make me crease up with laughter.

I would call her a wrinkly old teenager because her mind was young but her body (like us all) was aging and slowing her down as years past by.

She was an old school gal literally. She was a house maid back in the 1900’s for a lady and master of a grand house in the country.

She learnt everything from her younger days and stayed in that job for 20 or more years. She said she enjoyed it very much because although she was the head maid in charge of everyone and lived in the servant quarters she loved to admire her ladyships home.

It was grand and elegant but obviously with a masculine touch of the master. “Oh how i wish” she would say as cleaning the silver or polishing the long dining room table that would seat 16 or more.

So as time pasted and she carried on her own ways in modern day she would still wear the old style house coats that would be made of slippery polyester. I say slippery because she would say it would be better for house chores and cooking, as it would not attracted anything as she was going about her day. It would stay cleaner in other words and she would always look smart and tidy.

Isn’t if funny how something as small as a Brussel Sprout can bring back so many memories…

So this evening i decided to have them and cook them a little different.

I cut and skinned them (dirty leaves for the compost bin ) then rinsed them under cold water and then boiled them as nanny used to.

I then drained them and let the pan get hot and sizzling and them popped a little butter and salt in there for extra flavour.

When it had melted i put the brussels in there and let them sit until i could hear crackling, not burning just crackling.

Then move them around  til crispy in places.

It took longer than i anticipated but i had plenty of time so it didn’t worry me.

Eventually when they where done to my liking, I poured them out of the pan into a boil, put a little grated cheese on them and that was my meal.

I do agree my eating has changed in the past year and due to the pandemic I have gained weight through stress (like us all) but I have always carried my weight in certain places .

To keep it off I have to sacrifice nice things like the butter and cheesy Brussel Sprouts and chocolate biscuits.

This year has taught me one thing if nothing else…we only have one life and lets live it the way we want to.

Yes there are rules and regulation with the pandemic on how we should conduct our lives for staying well and safe but when it comes to food etc and what we look like it is totally down to the individual.

Don’t go over board obviously but as long as we are comfortable in our own skin that is all that matters…