Turning the clock back!!

Just had a quiet chuckle reading back through this old thread, one thing I distinctly remember, don’t know if this was just a family thing or did others get this?

As a young growing lad with appetite to match, if I turned up between meals on the “verge of starvation” I would very often be presented with a slab of fruit cake between two slices of bread and butter to munch on, always did a good job of filling the hunger and staving off the “imminent collapse”.

Thanks Silver
Bugga to light though but easy when the grate was cleaned out the next day!

I remember having to go to the local hardware store to get a gallon of paraffin for the convector heater, that stinky free standing heater with the wick that always needed trimming …. I think it was 2/6d , b…..dy heavy that gallon can cutting into your hand.
Sometimes had to get a bag of anthracite???? or was it coke…..what was this stuff?

Coke was the stuff left over after gas had been extracted from coal, anthracite is a very hard coal, burns hot and slow with very little or no smoke, the best available came from the Welsh coal mines, in the day.

I remember having to go to the local hardware store to get a gallon of paraffin for the convector heater, that stinky free standing heater with the wick that always needed trimming …. I think it was 2/6d , b…..dy heavy that gallon can cutting into your hand.
Sometimes had to get a bag of anthracite???? or was it coke…..what was this stuff?

Anyway – after 50 years I was finally reunited with the Shunting Engine that I previously mentioned,it was based at Cupar Sugar Factory (fife) when I was a wee lad.
I visited Brechin a week or so ago – unfortunately the ‘steaming’ season had finished but she was being prepped for a private run : )

When I was a kid we couldn’t afford a football so used to kick a pigs bladder around.
These days kids just kick the whole Policeman.

Quite right Chas, I am sure that this Government, who likes giving, What?, 11 Billion a year in overseas aid, could, especialy around Lincolnshire, set up distribution centers where the Farmers could take their excess produce and the Charities and food distribution Banks, could then send their vehicles to the centre, and pick up said excess food, but oh, that’s too simple, and would show them up in a bad light by caring for their own citizens.Same with the Cornflakes Tony, think of the jobs for the unemployed, opening, or even giving the underweight packets to charities or a food bank, I am sure that those who the flakes were handed to, wouldn’t give a monkeys as to the weight being over or under. Beggars can’t be choosers.
Just my opinion
Jim.
Lincoln .7

But if the donated spud CAN’T be sold then it makes no difference. Linc is talking about veg being given away as opposed to being ploughed back. The farmer will go bust if he is growing more than he can sell. Period.

The problem is, donate one spud is another spud not sold.. So if has a knock on effect, in that those crops you can sell are reduced further. You will soon go bust with that business model.

I used to watch truckloads of cornflakes going to landfill, the reason, the boxes were slightly underweight so couldn’t be sold and opening them to put them back into production system would be prohibitively expensive, hence they were dumped. These days I believe some get donated, but it goes back to the Spud issue.

A lot of the excess food, could be donated to various Food Banks, for which the number is growing daily. At least it would help those who are on low incomes etc.to get fresh veg.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

That’s a good story. We’ll done that grower!:)

Chas, You hit the nail on the head, EX, being the operative word. Now be honest, wouldn’t you?.
You would be gobsmacked to see just how much food that has not been picked,, is ploughed back into the fields around here, you would think they would donate it to Charity, or some other good cause.
As the old saying goes, “Waste not, wan’t not”.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Crops being chopped up and ploughed in always looks nonsensical, but if the grower hasn’t got a buyer for the crop then no more money will be wasted on the crop, it’s only value is fertiliser, having said that one large grower near to us has invited the charities who handle food to come to the farm and take away anything not harvested or not the “right size” for the supermarkets. Featured on our local telly just two weeks back when he was giving away cauliflowers which the supermarkets deem too big.

If you like, why not? I quite like being a “rosbeef”, their monicker for us!

Settle for FROGS Chas?. 😀

Jim.
Lincoln .7

Aw, go on, I am sure you could say the word if you really tried hard, especially as you secretly admire their attitude!!!!:dev2::D

Haha!! To be honest. No!:eek:

I am sure that the EU is to blame somewhere along the line….

I am CERTAIN the E.U. is to blame for very many things that are wrong with our Country. When we are ruled by the E.U. on so many matters, it makes me think why do we need 650 M.P.s who seemingly stick to every edict that is thrown at us, whereas F. F. F…….(Sorry, I just can’t say that word). just sticks 2 fingers up, and takes no notice of them.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Chas, You hit the nail on the head, EX, being the operative word. Now be honest, wouldn’t you?.
You would be gobsmacked to see just how much food that has not been picked,, is ploughed back into the fields around here, you would think they would donate it to Charity, or some other good cause.
As the old saying goes, “Waste not, wan’t not”.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Haha!! To be honest. No!:eek:

I can believe it and used to see the waste when we lived in Cambridgeshire. I am sure that the EU is to blame somewhere along the line……and the big retailers who will not accept produce if it is not “perfect”. I know it’s not exactly your favourite neck of the woods but one of the joys of France is the market, where on two or more days a week at even the smallest towns you have a choice of beautiful fresh veg from several market traders.

Hi mrtotty, we must be related, my upbringing was just about the same as yours, and look how I turned out..:D
Jim.
Lincoln .7

Chas, You hit the nail on the head, EX, being the operative word. Now be honest, wouldn’t you?.
You would be gobsmacked to see just how much food that has not been picked,, is ploughed back into the fields around here, you would think they would donate it to Charity, or some other good cause.
As the old saying goes, “Waste not, wan’t not”.
Jim.
Lincoln .7

ALL the fields are stuffed with growing veg etc, and one would think, that as we must in theory supply nearly most of England with fresh veg, it’s surprising that when we buy veg from our local shops or Supermarkets, it’s nearly always dearer than if we were to buy them further North or dahn Sarf.

Lincoln .7

Linc – the problem is twofold, retail marketing and the scourge of the TV chef. If we went back to eating what was in season and accepting bent carrots it would be very different. Most of the veg you see growing will be destined for the big vegetable markets and supermarket distribution systems. A small percentage is sold locally and some of that to some local supermarkets. We are very fortunate here in having 4 greengrocers within a mile or so and so have great choice of fresh locally grown veg at prices often less than the supermarkets, but always much fresher.