For Willy, England and Saint George!

While the very subject matter of this blog means that my posts pay little attention to when food is in season, I do nonetheless quite like to link what I cook and write about to the time of year, and specific calendar events. So I have sampled tins to try out recipes for Christmas and Easter, hearty Scottish fare for Burns Night, and Welsh and Irish dishes for St David's and St. Patrick's Days. So, two weeks ago, I felt it was high time that merrie olde England had a look-in too, with some tins to celebrate St George's Day on 23rd April. Which it just so happened was also the 400th anniversary of the death of Shakespeare, hence the title of this post.

One possibility being offered by a bar in Stoke Newington was this "Full English" cocktail - a somewhat dubious-sounding spin on a bloody mary, with HP sauce, Marmite, bacon, toast and a quail's egg adding to the traditional vodka, tomato juice and Worcestershire sauce, all served in a baked bean tin. Alas, it was only available for a very limited time around the 23rd April, so I didn't get the chance to experience it for myself. Perhaps for the best - while this creation might be a low-sugar option compared to some cocktails, I think this benefit is probably cancelled out by the addition of salt, fat and cholesterol in the added elements.

The chicken tikka masala has reportedly been topping the polls of England's favourite favourite foods for over a decade now, but I felt something a little more traditional would be more appropriate. Few things could fit the bill more than a good old roast dinner, with roast beef feeling the most suitable - the French don't refer to the English as rosbifs for nothing, after all. I had just the tin for it too, with these Beef Slices in Gravy.

Deeply fascinatin'

Those of you with an interest in science and the natural world will have been enthralled this week by the footage beamed live from the bottom of the Mariana trench, which at 11km beneath the surface of the Pacific is the deepest point on Earth. That's nearly 3 times the average depth of the ocean, over 10 times deeper than sunlight can reach, and further below sea level than the summit of Mount Everest is above it. It's so hard to get to that very little is known about the region, so the images of the flora and fauna that somehow survive down there, including species never seen before, have stunned scientists just as much as the public, as their commentary on the footage reveals.

They also found this:

 

Proof, if ever it was needed, that whatever lengths, or depths, you go to, you can never completely get rid of SPAM these days.

The force is strong here...

...the maths, less so.

May the sauce be with you.