Of Chrismas telly and talk of food

I’M FLICKING through the Christmas double-issue of the Radio Times, looking for highlights to mark up.

There was a time, not so very long ago, when there’d be a good movie premier for Christmas Day evening, and maybe another for Boxing Day. Not so these days.

I suppose with so many channels to choose from, and with recording so easy to do, fixed schedules must seem something of an anachronism to most broadcasters, and no doubt to many viewers.

Still, I do miss a good film on the big day; it was just something to look forward to.

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WE STOP by our favourite butcher to pick up a couple of chicken breasts for tomorrow’s dinner – I’m planning to do us a quick and easy tikka masala. I’m intending to make up the sauce myself.

Actually, food is the main topic of conversation at the Pub, what with reporting on Monday’s excellent Christmas dinner there and with Mr P, the music teacher, setting himself up in a catering business.

He’s literally counting the days to his retirement. He’s already getting more orders for his services that he can comfortably cope with – by all accounts he’s a very good cook indeed.

He’s planning to remodel his home kitchen to accommodate his new venture, but he’s miffed about a new EU regulation stating that every catering establishment must have a blast chiller.

“What’s a blast chiller?” I ask him.

“It’s a chill box that reduces hot food to cold in a matter of minutes to prevent bacteria forming.”

What annoys Mr P, though, is that we Brits are the only ones to take these European health regulations seriously; “The Spanish and the French just ignore them!”

I’ve no doubt that’s true. I know from experience that the French just shrug and pay lip-service to such foolishness. As if a little bacteria ever hurt anybody…