Mince pies etc....

[Nick Armstrong]

Chow mein probably - it had a pack of crispy noodles that puffed up when you added them to the hot fat. I think it had ordinary flat noodles too. Delicious

True! The hot fat made it more of a performance that the 'boiling water only' ones - which we preferred, possibly for that reason

Ed: You can still get it !! It is chow mein !! And you can get it on AMAZON!! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vesta-Chow-M...grocery_text_y

Look at the photo - it does have the two kinds of noodles, ff - your gimlet memory is sharp as ever!

Love the customer reviews!

Actually that reminds me, I saw a packet of the "beef curry" in a supermarket on the way home from a match at Upton Park only three or four years ago - bought it and tried it. Foul - far too salty...

Can't detect from the photo if the offending sultanas are in that exotic mix... http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vesta-Beef-C...ef=pd_sim_kh_1

No risotto though I think that was my favourite. Seems to have become paella...

[amateur51]

Look at the photo - it does have the two kinds of noodles, ff - your gimlet memory is sharp as ever!

Well I suppose gin & lime juice can be quite sharp

[french frank]

Look at the photo - it does have the two kinds of noodles, ff - your gimlet memory is sharp as ever!

Those crispy ones would be considered a touch underdone in our household ...

[Beef Oven!]

Mother being Italian, ours were crispy, 4 inches tall made from filo, with pine nuts and anything else that could be bought from the quarterly trip to Soho to buy from the Italain shops (all available from the Co-Op these days).

Just wanted those moist, insipid, pale ones the English families in our road ate. Consequently I am in heaven with a 6-pack off the cheapest nastiest mince pies from Morrisons.

[Anna]

Mother being Italian, ours were crispy, 4 inches tall made from filo, with pine nuts

I like the sound of those! <yum emoticon>
I don't think we ever had a Vesta - how many did a packet feed? (I think it would have been too expensive to buy them to feed 6 people?) We did have curry, homemade, but quite mild, I seem to recall Veeraswarmy curry powder being used?

[mangerton]

I like the sound of those! <yum emoticon>
I don't think we ever had a Vesta - how many did a packet feed? (I think it would have been too expensive to buy them to feed 6 people?)

From memory about half a person with a small appetite, if they weren't particularly hungry. And yes, I think the economics of feeding six would have been horrendous.

[french frank]

From memory about half a person with a small appetite, if they weren't particularly hungry.

According to the packet, it serves ONE, £1.65 from Asda and Tesco. My memory is that we divided a packet between two of us. But we also shared a chicken wing between two; or one lamb chop ...

[Anna]

According to the packet, it serves ONE, £1.65 from Asda and Tesco. My memory is that we divided a packet between two of us. But we also shared a chicken wing between two; or one lamb chop ...

Cue Monty Python sketch about living in a paper bag and eating hot gravel .....
As a family, we weren't well off, I think Mum struggled to find nutritious food for six of us but we never shared a chicken wing!

[Old Grumpy]

Cue Monty Python sketch about living in a paper bag and eating hot gravel .....
As a family, we weren't well off, I think Mum struggled to find nutritious food for six of us but we never shared a chicken wing!

Your wish may be granted... http://www.theguardian.com/culture/2...n-andy-kaufman

[BBMmk2]

My wife has this rather old fashioned recipe, where you soak the fruit for three days in brandy before making mince pies or even Christmas pudding!!

[Flosshilde]

Delia's Christmas cake recipe says that you should soak the fruit for at least 12 hours. Mine ended up being soaked for about 48, as I didn't manage to get the cake done when I planned to.

(Is Delia 'old fashioned'? )

[Ferretfancy]

Delia's Christmas cake recipe says that you should soak the fruit for at least 12 hours. Mine ended up being soaked for about 48, as I didn't manage to get the cake done when I planned to.

(Is Delia 'old fashioned'? )

I love old fashioned ! The other day I cautiously opened a 2 year old Delia recipe Christmas pudding just to check that it had not grown whiskers, added a spot of brandy and resealed it. I expect excellent results.

Incidentally, does anybody remember something called Burgoyne's Harvest Burgundy ? I think it came from Australia and I was allowed a small glass at Christmas ( aged 8 ) I think that was the only time it ever appeared at my family's celebrations, what they called 'dinner wine' was viewed with some suspicion !

[vinteuil]

Incidentally, does anybody remember something called Burgoyne's Harvest Burgundy ? I think it came from Australia and I was allowed a small glass at Christmas ( aged 8 ) I think that was the only time it ever appeared at my family's celebrations, what they called 'dinner wine' was viewed with some suspicion !

.

https://www.bidforwine.co.uk/auctions/show/22404

[Old Grumpy]

Meanwhile...


...back to mince pies.

Here's the answer: Aldi and Lidl mince pies beat Fortnum & Mason's in Which? taste test

OG

[french frank]

Meanwhile...


...back to mince pies.

Here's the answer: Aldi and Lidl mince pies beat Fortnum & Mason's in Which? taste test

OG

And be that as it may, I suspect that most of Fortnum's customers will stick with Fortnums. There's the cardboard recycling box to think of...