Wednesday 14 January 2009

Buying fish on my doorstep


"Are you interested in buying fish?" asked the man at the door.


"Well I'm a bit busy at the moment. Just finishing off my work!" I replied.

Work(?)...gerroff...I was just desparate to put the Eglu video on my blog. I looked at my watch. Time was tight and I'd soon have to pick up the kids from school.

Then came my inner nag. The one that said I should eat more fish along with the rest of the family. I paused. Do I? Don't I? Shall I? Shan't I?

"What's the packaging like?"

"It comes in recyclable cardboard box, which we can take off your hands - would you like me to show you?"

Now if a man wants to show me recyclable packaging, well you know I'm all ears.

And it was true. We went to the van to show me his frozen loins - cod loins of course - all packaged in a single recyclable polythene bag and safely stacked in a reusable or reyclable box.

So I paid my dues, took the fish and give him the box back. Ah...a simple solution for my bin and one less reason to go to the supermarket.

Fish pie anyone?


Huge thanks to Dave from Supreme Cuisine for agreeing to the photo.
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6 comments:

Christina S said...

Frozens loins indeed - I know it's cold ...!

I hope we can see a photo of your fish pie when you make it :-)

Anonymous said...

Hehe - sounds a bit fishy to me.

How brilliant though; I shall definitely be on the look out for some fishy tales around here too. Enjoy the fish pie - that's LMG's favourite meal

Mrs g x

Anonymous said...

Hi Mrs A,

Unpackaged fish, using containers, is available in most superstores and local fishmongers. There used to be a local fish van for years and years but lack of demand reduced that business.

Strawberry Jam Anne said...

I wonder what he thought! Love fish pie - are you going to share your recipe? A x

Sam said...

I wish we had a fish van round here. Our local supermarket is rubbish at fish, and everything is triple wrapped.
Lol at the frozen loins :-)

Almost Mrs Average said...

Hi Rubes - LOL...blimmin' freezing down here, me lovely. So cold I could store the fish in the shed if push came to shove. Will make some fishy pie next week (hopefully). :-D

Hi Mrs G - LOL - I love it too and it is always a real treat, so worth the faff. As we're soon to get hens I think there will be a shared relief that we're upping the fish content of our diet. :-D

Hi John - It really is great to have a local fishvan that comes around. And it did take me back to my memories of growing up in Wales, where there was a mobile fishmonger, pop man, milkman and at one time a convenience store on wheels. As I try to avoid the supermarket most of the time and use our local farm shops more increasingly, this really does give me extra choice which is fab :-D

Hi Anne - LOL - He most probably thought I was bonkers. He came to sell me fish and I showed him the video of my Eglu. I hope he calls again and I haven't put him off for life....Dave, if you're looking in, please do come back on your next delivery. I promise I will behave myself.

Anyway, I will most certainly share my recipe if I can catch it. LOL. My cooking is often more slippery than the fish. I normally poach the fish for 15 minutes in a saucepan of milk, seasoned with a little salt and pepper (plus a bay leaf). Meanwhile boil up some pototoes for the mash topping. Sometimes I might add some onions gently softened in butter to the cooked fish. I then pour the fish, with some of the milk sauce into an oven-proof dish. Top off with a layer of mash and add some grated cheese on top. Pop in the oven for about 30 minutes at about 180-200 C. When the topping starts turning golden-brown, it's time to serve. If reheating the whole dish from cold, add another 15 minutes and check if it's piping hot before serving.

Of course, who knows what I'll do next time. But I will reveal all, I promise.

Hi Sam - that's probably so true of many. Waitrose is normally good for fish, but to cut down on packaging, you might have to take along your own sealed container. Hope you find a fish van in your neighbourhood. Fingers crossed that an entrepreneurial spirit will think it's a good idea. :-D

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