Sunday 10 February 2013

Ultimate Food Chatter

At an impromptu catch-up with some good friends last night the conversation unsurprisingly turned to food (as it so often does when my husband and I are in the room!!). What started out as just a single food-preference question to our friends from me, then sparked hours of enthusiastic, and sometimes slightly raucous conversation about our 'ultimate' food choices.

What occurred to me mid-way through this fun food-fuelled chatter, was that food is a subject that unites all people from all walks of life. Whoever you are, whether you're old or young, fat or thin, rich or poor, food is undoubtedly a part of your every day life - it is said we make up to 200 food and beverage related decisions each day - and for that reason alone, its a subject that always ignites passion, enthusiasm, and joy for many.

In today's post I wanted to share some of last night's discussion, while also sharing my own ultimate food choices, and maybe sparking some debate...I'd love to know what your 'ultimate' food choices would be so feel free to comment as I'd love to know.

So...my first question to our friends was..."If you could only eat one sandwich for the rest of your life what would it be?" This fuelled much debate among the six of us, leading to six very different answers, and us feeling the need to break down the category into two categories; an everyday sandwich favourite, and a 'fantasy' sandwich, with the premise that you could have absolutely any filling you want, and wouldn't actually have to make the sandwich yourself (helping the lazy among us to be a bit more adventurous).

Here were my choices (after much careful consideration), and a few other ultimates from our friends....

Ultimate Everyday Sandwich - Mine: fresh white bread, butter, philadelphia cheese, marmite and iceberg lettuce.
(Friends' choices = ham and cheese / ham, jalapenos and mayo / blackcurrant jam)



Ultimate Fantasy Sandwich - Mine: fresh white bread, butter, sausage, crispy bacon, egg mayonnaise.  (Friends' choices = ham, roast beef, chicken, cheese, salad cream / a sandwich cut into 4 quarters each with a different filling - coronation chicken, seafood sticks and seafood sauce, meat & coleslaw, ham & cheese)


Ultimate Roast Dinner - Mine: Roast Beef, yorkshire pudding, crispy roast potatoes, roast parsnip, white cabbage, mashed swede, cauliflower with cheese sauce, gravy, pigs in blankets.
(Friends' choices also included = roast chicken, peas, carrots, mashed potato, leeks, mint sauce)



Ultimate Fry Up - Mine: crispy bacon x2 rashers, good quality pork sausage x1, baked beans, hash brown, sautéed sliced mushrooms cooked with a little Worcestershire Sauce, tinned plum tomato, half a grilled tomato, 1 slice toast & butter, 1 slice fried bread, scrambled egg. And a big mug of strong sweet tea!
(Friends' choices also included = black pudding, white pudding, fried eggs and a bottle of Orange Lucozade!)


Ultimate Chocolate Bar - Mine: I found this one of the hardest ones to answer, as although I love chocolate, I rarely tend to buy single chocolate bars at a sweet shop/newsagents, and never buy them in the weekly shop. Mainly due to my 'good angel' on my shoulder who always tries to veer me away from making too many bad food decisions. On the rare occasions I do have a chocolate bar it would very much depend on my mood as to what I fancied. If I had to pick one, and it had to be 'ultimate' which in my book means a HUGE treat, then I'd have to say a Snickers Bar (or Marathon for those who remember it!).
(Friends' Choices = Yorkie Biscuit & Raisin, KitKat Chunky Caramel, Twix)


Ultimate Packet of Crisps - Mine: Easy questions, easy answer....for me, every single time its a packet of Walkers Ready Salted - the absolute King of Crisps!
(Friends' Choices: Brannigans Beef & Mustard, Beef Hula Hoops, McCoys Ready Salted, Nice 'n' Spicy NikNaks)



Ultimate Fruit - Mine: another easy answer - Watermelon. I love everything about this fruit, and although the melon family as a whole would be my fruits of choice, a good old watermelon always tops the charts for me. Its reminiscent of holidays to Greece, warm summer evenings, and fun days by the pool - its sweet, refreshing and immensely good for you. What could be better?
(Friends' Choices: Banana, Watermelon, Kiwi)



Ultimate Biscuit - Another hard question as I believe there needs to be different categories to this question...for me you need to choose one of each:
1) Ultimate dunking biscuit - digestive
2) Ultimate homemade biscuit - shortbread
3) Ultimate party biscuit - party ring (of course!)
4) Ultimate sandwich biscuit - bourbon
5) Ultimate Christmas Biscuit - danish butter cookies
(Other biscuits chosen by friends included = custard cream, hobnobs, chocolate digestive, jammie dodgers.)


Ultimate Bread - I am a self-confessed carbs queen. I could never give up bread, potatoes or pasta because quite frankly, what would be the point? Carbs = Happiness in this household. For me, I have a favourite daily bread, which is Hovis Granary, and a favourite 'treat/weekend' bread, which is a freshly baked white bloomer with poppyseeds. YUM! 
(Friends' Choices = soda bread, granary, Tiger bread, homemade white loaf, freshly baked uncut sandwich loaf)
Ultimate Weekend Dessert - By 'weekend dessert' we were talking about the sort of pudding you'd have after a Sunday roast as a child, something heavy, British and nostalgic, if thats you're thing. It is most definitely my thing, and my ultimate choice would be homemade jam roly-poly with custard. What could be better? 
(Friends' Choices: Vienetta, Chocolate Tart, hot apple pie and ice cream, rhubarb crumble and custard)



Ultimate Weekday Dessert - When you fancy something sweet after your dinner during the week, but can't warrant anything too calorific what would you choose? For me it would always be one of two things - either a yoghurt, or a Hartley's 10 calories or less jelly-pot. My favourite yoghurt of choice at the moment is Rachel's Organic Greek Yoghurt and Honey. Delicious!
(Friends' Choices = ice cream, vanilla yoghurt, fruit, chocolate mousse, creme caramel)



So, my blogging lovelies, what would you choose?

I'd love to hear your choices, and maybe even read some Ultimate Food Posts on your blogs! :-)

Lucy xxx