Familiar brands: absent and present

I am the friend of a fisherman, at least I am if you really are what you eat. No, I’ve not turned cannibal! Let me explain. Back in England I would occasionally partake in a steaming mug of Lemsip, a sort-of pre-emptive strike against a more serious affliction; that snotty feeling that leaves an alarmingly large pile of hankies in need of cleaning. With the weather sort of turning here I felt like it might be a good time to have a drink but alas we overlooked the Lemsip when packing. We haven’t carried out an extensive search but it seems the shops here don’t stock it, or any generic derivative. I managed to find some Strepsils in the cupboard and some Lemon Fisherman’s Friends in a local supermarket. They taste similarly as bad as Lemsip so perhaps they’re helping!

On the subject of familiar brands we’ve particularly enjoyed welcoming Uncle Ben to our new kitchen. Today he was joined by Mr Dolmio for a tasty Sunday lunch. The ‘minced meat’ that the sauce smothered seemed of no particular variety, but it took the spices well enough. I have Hellmans mayonnaise, in the over-sized equivalent of a toothpaste tube, although I’m told Thomy is better. I’ll do a comparison. Rowan’s happy with the quantities of Milka available. However we are often told appearances are deceptive. This couldn’t be truer of the fruit and veg. English aisles are packed with pre-cleaned, homogenised produce, the beautiful people of the plant kingdom. Here, instead, it’s a real, warts-and-all experience. It tastes so much better – and doesn’t carry a gia-organic price tag!