Catmandu30's Profile

Ah, the square egg press! My gran was a lover of all things formica, plastic and Fanny Craddock inspired. I remember as a kid boiling up eggs specifically so I could put them in the press. She was also the one who I got the Royal Doulton porcelain egg coddlers from.

I could eat eggs all day long.... warm, buttery scrambled.....mmmmmmmm delicious.

That's brilliant.

8 Sausage links for a British breaksfast? Whoah! Not where I'm from. Cut it down to 1 or 2, add in Bacon, mushrooms sauteed in butter, tinned tomatoes and brown sauce. Now you're talking!

Or my personal favourite: scrambled eggs on toast - no holds barred on the butter!

I'm from the UK and this stuff has been around for donkeys - you can buy it absolutely everywhere, although we call it Tomato Puree here. It's brilliant for casseroles, stews, soups and pasta sauces; essential for bolognese, chillis and pizzas. The ones with herbs and garlic are my favourites.

Hi Astur, the best way I check to see if they're ripe is to judge how firm the skin is. If it feels loose, as though the fruit has pulled away from it, then that usually means it's a bit old and the fruit has gone past it's prime. If the skin is still bright and fresh looking, without any paler, soft spots it's usually better and more likely to have firm, tastier segments.

As above, that's usually what I do - I just leave out the salt and then add in extra to where it tastes amiss. I do have to admit though to a slightly salty-tooth and some sweet dishes actually taste quite better with a little dash of it: usually if there's a rich caramel flavour, like flapjack or even caramel corn (add a little salt and black pepper - sounds weird but it's sooooo right).

For baking I usually just half my pinch or leave it out unless I'm making a savoury but often other ingredients will take the place of salt, like bacon, ham or cheese. Mmmm, that reminds me, I really fancy making parmesan, black pepper and fennel scones. If there's ever a case for using salted butter, that's the recipe that'll do it for me!

Admittedly I'm not American so Thanksgiving kind of passes me by but an alternative to Turkey might be a spatchcocked Poussin - small chickens that are very tasty and cook very quickly. A hungry adult could eat one a piece but for a small family, 2 to 3 would do. I love them with just salt and pepper and a little bit of paprika. Plus they feel just that little bit extra special, more so than an ordinary chicken.

I'm a UK girl and I love PG Tips - but I have to say Tetley is my favourite. It's got a strong, rounded flavour and I like mine with a good kick to it! You have to leave PGs in for a while to get the full flavour - it's got a more delicate, fragrant taste to it - and I'm impatient. Builder's tea is strong and with loads of sugar in it - that's why you can stand your spoon in it!