A balmy summer’s evening and some catching up, plus menu planning and other bits and bobs. Firstly, those of you who follow the Golf will know that we had our second Majors win of the season – the winner was not a huge surprise… but then we also tipped the 3rd and 5th with Cameron Young at 75/1 and Matt Fitzpatrick at 45/1. Our seven selections delivered a 29pt+ profit, a chunk of which was sadly eaten up by my dismal foray into Sunday racing. To say the results were surprising is an understatement. The bank now stands at 958pts, which means that the first 5½ months of this year have resulted in a loss of around 4% of our bank. Doubtless, the Puritans that pass for political advisors will say this is the sort of problem gambling they want to stamp out. I am intensely fed-up with all these faceless, unelected bureaucrats who claim to know what is best for us – and are paid huge sums of my money to tell me how to live. I have no solution, other than submission or ranting. Voting – witness Boris – is clearly not the answer.
This eccentric dalliance with socialism, in the absence of any real Tory party, led me to make a Rick Stein recipe last night which was horrid. That most socialist of all vegetables, the Cabbage, went into something apparently called Kapuska. I made it with Beef Mince in the absence of Lamb, and I had bought Turkish tomato paste and pepper sauce, but I must have left something out. It was likely a badly made pasta ragu using cabbage instead of spaghetti.
Undeterred, I shall attempt a grilled Souvlakia tomorrow with flatbread, tzatziki, hummus, Greek lemon rice, and Horiatiki, which as you all know, has no hint of lettuce – just green peppers, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, kalamata olives (green is just acceptable), and feta. This will be followed by a cake, the Hon. bought at The Old Berks flower show. I shall serve the cake with a Rose and Pomegranate Sorbet.
The pork for my feast, I bought last year from a passing farmer who did his own butchery. He had obviously been trained at The Axe Murderers and Chain Saw Massacre School of Culinary Arts because boning each joint into slabs has been the only way I have found to discover identifiable meat. To date, I have had a bit of a shoulder sawn through the neck, by way of access and the top half of a leg that seemed to have a part belly attached. Still, it was cheap then – and trust me in these straightened times, I am not complaining. Now is the time to get cuddly with your local livestock farmer and come to an arrangement for his meat and the like.
Living off the lamb and avoiding the cabbage – that’s the ticket.
1:45 HAYDOCK Betfred Nifty Fifty Achilles Stks (Listed Race) Cl1 (3yo+) 5f 10 run
RAASEL 2pts e/w – ATALIS BAY 1½ pts e/w
2:05 BEVERLEY Hilary Needler Trophy Fillies’ Conditions Stks (GBB Race) Cl2 (2yo) 5f 9 run
ABSOLUTELY FLAWLESS 3 pts Win – PRIMROSE EDGE 2 pts e/w
2:20 HAYDOCK Betfred Double Delight Hcap Cl2 (4yo+ 0-105) 1m4f 13 run
CONTACT 3 pts Win – UNIVERSAL ORDER 2 pts e/w – Add HMS PRESIDENT 6 x ¼pt CFC
2:40 BEVERLEY bet365 Hcap Cl3 (3yo+ 0-95) 7½f 9 run
I’M A GAMBLER 2½ pts e/w
2:55 HAYDOCK Betfred Pinnacle Stks (G3) (Fillies & Mares) Cl1 (4yo+) 1m4f 10 run
VIOLA e/w 2 pts e/w
3:15 BEVERLEY bet365 Two Year Old Trophy Conditions Stks (Colts & Geldings) Cl2 (2yo) 5f 8 run
CHATEAU 4 pts win
3:30 HAYDOCK Betfred John Of Gaunt Stks (G3) Cl1 (4yo+) 7f 8 run
HAPPY POWER – SPY CATCHER Dutch the pair 4pts
3:45 CHESTER ICM Stellar Sports Hcap Cl2 (4yo+ 0-105) 7½f 11 run
OH THIS IS US – TOMFRE Dutch the pair total 5pts