SWMBO bought a Gressigham duck originally priced at eight quid, but reduced to about six and a half quid, in Tesco.
It came in a small foil tray and in its own roasting bag. Why? It's not difficult to stuff a duck into a roasting bag and place the resulting package into a roasting tin.
I digress.
I'm mostly underwhelmed by duck, unless served shredded, with hoi-sin saue and pancakes in a good Chinese restaurant, but nevertheless, we've had roast duck for lunch (now our main meal most days).
As I was struggling to carve it I as thinking - "there's not much meat on this"
This quacker was about 1.25kg for an original £8.
Poor value compared with a 1.25kg chicken which can be bought for around £2.70. With a chicken of this size we can get a least three decent meals for two people from it, while with the duck we'll struggle to get two.
Personally I don't see the logic.
Is it worth paying such a lot more for a bog-standard duck?
For me, at least, the answer is "No".
Other views?
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How bizarre. Why buy duck if you want chicken.
If I want duck I won't buy chicken.
Agree about the wasteful tray; also the giblets are taken out and sold separately to somebody else which I consider a bit of a con. But I'd joint it into four pieces as the breasts benefit from being served rare and the legs from being well done. That way you're guaranteed four meals, and all parts taste better! Get a decent soup out of it too.
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>> How bizarre. Why buy duck if you want chicken.
>>
>> If I want duck I won't buy chicken.
It was not I that bought it - SWMBO was, for her, unusually overcome by an in-store reduction.
of a nearly out of code item.
Actually it was in Sainsbury's she found in not Tesco's.
Have you noticed how mean the reduced prices are on Sainsbury's "reduced" stuff , compared with Tesco's?
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I've thought the same about Tesco reductions sometimes, but they do vary them further downwards as the deadline looms. So I think if it's short date items you are talking about, it's just a matter of timing. (In our local Tesco you can always tell when the witching hour is near as a small crowd gathers round the discount fridge, or the fruit/veg bin in anticipation. Feel sorry for them really, clearly they genuinely depend somewhat on the bargain stuff)
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>> (In our local Tesco you can always tell
>> when the witching hour is near as a small crowd gathers round the discount fridge,
>> or the fruit/veg bin in anticipation. Feel sorry for them really, clearly they genuinely depend
>> somewhat on the bargain stuff)
>>
Well, it could be that they are so anxious to make a saving that they are prepared to stand around waiting.
Perhaps they are mean.
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No, I don't believe so. Not that I'm there to see them that often. I think they are genuinely in need, relatively speaking, in my generally rather well off town.
Also I don't think trying to save a few bob here and there necessarily equates to being mean. The world might be a nicer place if people weren't so wasteful!
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You have to do it the French way, not roast it like a chicken. You hardly ever see a whole duck for sale in France.
Duck breasts (filet, or 'magret' if it comes from a duck fattened for foie gras) are delicious grilled but never roasted. Legs slow cooked in their own fat - confit - are also delicious.
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>> You have to do it the French way, not roast it like a chicken.
I used to spend a fair amount of time in Toulouse and the duck there was always fantastic - nothing like I've ever had in the UK
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>> It came in a small foil tray and in its own roasting bag. Why?
>>
supplying roast in the bag’ poultry is to stop people coming into contact with campylobacter.
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What's wrong with a bacon sandwich, preferably dry cured, on cheap white bread?
Both from Aldi.
Non of that lah de dah fancy duck stuff
Avian flu in my part of the world, sadly resulting in culling, but not heard of any duck going cheap.
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>> What's wrong with a bacon sandwich, preferably dry cured, on cheap white bread?
>> Both from Aldi.
>> Non of that lah de dah fancy duck stuff
Oh for a good bacon sarnie!!!!
I was at two hotels this week and was looking forward to a cooked breakfast. One was boring, self service with limp bacon and greasy eggs.
The other was self service too but it was just not edible. Bacon burnt to a crisp (black) and sausages were raw and scrambled eggs were yuk!
Sometimes a good roadside burger van can't be beaten! I think we need a thread for recommendations!
Now the really important question is red or brown sauce, with fried egg or without?
Last edited by: zippy on Fri 27 Jan 17 at 16:10
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>> I think we need a thread for recommendations!<<
I can do some of those!
>> Now the really important question is red or brown sauce, with fried egg or without? <<
Loads of black pepper is the only thing to put on a fried egg.
We had gammon last night and I usually do it with parsley sauce, broad beans and new potatoes to maintain the healthy eating plan.
The rebel in me escaped yesterday somehow ( I think it was too much sitting on my fingers;)) and I grilled it with chips, fried eggs and baked beans......oh it was good!
Pat
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>>Loads of black pepper is the only thing to put on a fried egg.
I put cayenne pepper on my flied eggs, loads of it too. Two flied eggs for break fast,. 6 days a week.
Man, I need that cholesterol .
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>>Now the really important question is red or brown sauce, with fried egg or without?
SWMBO would say not red or brown as they are normally described but redish.
Sooo much nicer
tinyurl.com/hejhhzh
link to Sainsbury.
Plain sunny side up for me.
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>> but not heard of any duck going cheap.
>>
OK, I'll fall for it
Everybody knows ducks don't go cheep,
they go Quack
I'll get me coat
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Didn't take long did it...I was expecting budgies to be mentioned
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>> Personally I don't see the logic.
>> Is it worth paying such a lot more for a bog-standard duck?
>> For me, at least, the answer is "No".
>> Other views?
>>
I'm not a big fan of farmed duck or any farmed game. Try some wild duck, much tastier and flavoursome. We usually have a couple of ducks at xmas.
Last edited by: sooty123 on Fri 27 Jan 17 at 17:49
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>> Duck or........
>>
>> Grouse!
>>
I load 'em, you fire 'em. :-)
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If you don't like duck.......you're rather stuck !
B.Fawlty...'The Gourmet Evening '
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>> I'm not a big fan of farmed duck or any farmed game. Try some wild
>> duck, much tastier and flavoursome. We usually have a couple of ducks at xmas.
>>
Unless they've been residing near river estuaries when they can often taste 'muddy'. Not nice.
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Ours are usually from pits, drains or occasionally a lake.
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............................on the subject of food, or its waste.
We throw away very little food, perhaps the odd bit of bread and a few slimy salad leaves.
We are not fanatical about best before and use-by dates, preferring to use our own judgement at the time of consumption.
Maybe it's because we were both brought up in times of relative austerity, during and post WW2
So far, we have survived!
From reports on TV from time to time, it seems we are in a minority.
What do other members feel about this?
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We throw very little away as well, didn't live through ww2 but I'm quite tight so i don't like to see food thrown away. Same with dates on labels i just have a look and decide whether to bin or not.
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We also throw hardly anything away, probably because of my upbringing (strict parents who had been through food rationing) and temperament (I'm a bit of a tightwad).
We feel happy to ignore use-by dates, unless it's fish.
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I'm the same as FP. My kids tend to throw stuff away when it's past it's sell-by. I recently used something in a jar that was sell by 2010. Tasted alright to me, though that's not always the case!!!
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I remember being short of food after WW2 as there was very little money in the household.
The cat seemed better fed than me with fresh cod bits or whiting :-)
I too hate throwing food away so dates on food are just a guide to me.
I regularly buy short dated meat and put it in the freezer.
There must be a lot of folks out there throwing good food away, conned by the use by date on the packaging.
Strange how tins of fruit etc are now having best before dates that are indicating a short shelf life.
I have always believed tinned stuff lasts for decades. Odd that!
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We also throw away very little.
Council collect food waste separately so it goes in a caddy in Kitchen then a bigger one outside. Usually just plate scrapings, bones, fish skin etc. Occasionally something that's got marooned at back of fridge and gone off. Caddy in kitchen gets emptied to stop stuff smelling. It's never full.
Go by smell and appearance rather than use by dates.
Vegetable peelings and any fruit veg that goes off is composted.
Both sets of parents were WW2 generation and that must be an influence.
My Mother though is an enormous wastrel. Buys on impulse and far more than she needs living on her own. A recentish thing, while Dad was alive he kept her tendencies under control.....
Last edited by: Bromptonaut on Sat 28 Jan 17 at 12:33
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One of my muttley`s found a duck last week (Mallard drake) hiding in some Marram grass down the shore, it had obviously been shot at as one of it's wings was shattered. I put it out of it's misery and I felt all the better for it, especially after it had been in the slow-cooker for four hours!
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>>Strange how tins of fruit etc are now having best before dates that are indicating a short shelf life.
i have a packet of Maple glazed wild smoked salmon from Canada that has been in stock for two or three years .The label says " Enjoy by DEC 2021 but tins of fruit go off quicker.
I smell the marketing kids having a laugh at customers and making more profits.
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Acidic products like some fruits,canned tomatoes and pineapple for example have a shorter shelf life than other canned products. The acid in the fruit can react with the metal and spoil the taste. You may have noticed that tomato tins often have a white coating to help prevent this happening
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>>What do other members feel about this?
After being very sick in late 2015/2016 due to stomach problems I am now much more fussy with food freshness then I used to be.
A colleague was hospitalised due to food poisoning. A very fit and active individual, he was in intensive care for a week! The restaurant that caused the poisoning was closed for good and a significant compensation payment was made.
I have been told that the mould is one of the most dangerous poisons especially when on nuts!
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My ole mum lived through both world wars and was no stranger to hardship. I can well remember her buying dented and even slightly rusted tins of food from the market stalls in East Lane, Walworth, sowf lunden.
I hate waste, and will often eat something which would otherwise end up in the bin, even though I'm not hungry :)
The ole woman wastes stuff, alas.
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Hi Matey,
Very little gets shoved out here. When the local Carncil dropped one of their food caddy's off here with a note informing us that we had to keep all waste food separate from other stuff I was peeved at the insult. I smashed it and put in a waste bag. Talk about taking the Pea out folk.
The Labrador's eat fresh as do we. I can't really remember throwing anything away.
Mind you 'er indoors is as sharp as a sharp thing.
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Seems a bit of an extreme reaction to a perfectly sensible idea. We have very little food waste but there is inevitably some even though I compost most green waste. Kipper bones this morning, orange peel ( inhibits composting process, chicken carcass, bacon rinds, etc. I would think all homes must have a little food waste.
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>>The Labrador's eat fresh as do we. I can't really remember throwing anything away.
What do you actually feed your Labs guvnor. I give my two monsters top-quality (and price!) kibble but they both look anorexic (both under two years old, just)
>>Mind you 'er indoors is as sharp as a sharp thing.
Wimin usually are in my experience.
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>>What do you actually feed your Labs guvnor. I give my two monsters top-quality (and price!) kibble but they both look anorexic (both under two years old, just)
Ruff and Ready from Skinners. Always moistened. Water when there's nought else available which is perhaps once a week.
They get raw carrot skin. Any peelings from sprouts or green veg go in the steamer with our nosh and they have that the following morning. Most days last night's gravy too.
A raw egg each once or twice a week. Milk. A tin of Pilchards in tom' sauce once a week. Occasionally a small tin of sardines. I would avoid JUST dried food like the plague.
Our eldest yellow Lab is approaching nine now. She was out working on a shoot both Friday and Saturday. She is very long bodied and fit. Most fence and gates are no barrier to her even at her age. She weighs in at 30kg
Apparently your dosh would be better spent on raw chicken wings. People I know that feed them all say the poos are firm, don't pong too much, Dogs breath is quite pleasant.
Hope this helps my Son!
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No earthly reason to avoid JUST dried food. Having had a pack of hounds and fed them nothing but dried food I can confirm that they need nothing else. Nothing is as fit as a hunting hound, and they do just fine on cheap dried food. Anything more expensive is just pandering to the owner, not the beast.
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>> No earthly reason to avoid JUST dried food. Having had a pack of hounds and
>> fed them nothing but dried food I can confirm that they need nothing else. Nothing
>> is as fit as a hunting hound, and they do just fine on cheap dried
>> food. Anything more expensive is just pandering to the owner, not the beast.
>>
Did you run a pack of Fox or Deer hounds Mappy?
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My Pointer was fed on Skinners Field & Trail Puppy ... from a a puppy. He's mummy died while giving birth, so he was suckled by a Labrador (Tis true). The breeder sed he'll always be on the small side, but his spine, ribs, and hips sticking out make him look underfed, which he isn't. The main thing is that he is healthy.
The Beauceron is a large heavy breed of dog, but I can't seem to put weight on him either, although he looks heavier than the Pointer being he has a thicker coat. He is quite healthy too.
I'm not too bothered about them TBH as being healthy is better than looking healthy IMO.
I used to give 'em raw chicken wings, raw eggs, I even tried sardines at one point, but the way I look at it is that they are both on a high-quality complete food, so apart from their little liver treats, they shouldn't require anything else.
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>>I used to give 'em raw chicken wings<<
I always thought it was dangerous to give Dogs Chicken bones as they splinter and tear their guts!
Our Muttleys get Arkwrights dried food (ad -lib) and two large tins of el-cheapo dog meat between them with a raw egg every night. They are that fit that I may try the same diet myself!!
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>>They are that fit that I may try the same diet myself!!
Bit like the diet of my 3 older bruvs during WW2 (just 1 left now) - it didn't do them any 'arm.
Raw chicken wings are okay, tis cooked chicken bones which splinter, apparently.
Last edited by: Dog on Mon 30 Jan 17 at 12:04
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Are dugs immune to the campylobacter that we are told infects 3/4 supermarket chickens?
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Good question. Many are those who feed a BARF diet (Biologically Appropriate Raw Food orBones And Raw Food) to their dogs, with quite excellent results apparently.
When I brought home my Beauceron at 8 weeks young, the breeder gave me some www.naturalinstinct.com/ which I continued with for about a month or so, but then decide to switch him to a 'complete' dried kibble diet.
Course, dogs digestive systems are different to ours, in that they can digest bones, so maybe the campy has a bit of a hard time of it in taking on that environment.
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>> Hi Matey,
>>
>> When the local Carncil dropped one of their food
>> caddy's off here with a note informing us that we had to keep all waste
>> food separate from other stuff I was peeved at the insult. I smashed it and
>> put in a waste bag. Talk about taking the Pea out folk.
Serious question, why did you feel insulted?
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>> When the local Carncil dropped one of their food caddy's off here with a note informing us that >>we had to keep all waste food separate from other stuff....
>>
Our bin men, I assume when no caddy is put out, slap a big sticky label on the landfill bin " NO food waste"
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Duck or.......... - Mapmaker
