The Hairy Bikers, for those who have asked, are pretty much the current incarnation of the Two Fat Ladies. They have a similar approach to food, a similar approach to each other and motor bikes feature in both. It must be said that I am more likely to use HB recipes and food thoughts than TFL ones – but I enjoy both pairs of cooks. And their shows. I have especially enjoyed the HBs’ tour of Britain and their recent Mums know best show. I may have to buy the book since a DVD does not appear to be in the offing.
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So. I need to pick up the tickets for the Hairy Bikers some time before 19:00. There almost certainly will not be time at lunch time. Right. I’ll collect them after work.
Even better – The Builder can meet me after work and we can trundle up to the City Hall together. Collect the tickets. Have a bite to eat in one of the eateries around the City Hall. Excellent plan.
The Builder arrived at the appointed time. I wandered off to meet him, a bit disconcerted to discover that it was snowing. Again. And it wasn’t even Wednesday!
Tickets safely collected we went in search of food. Let’s try Ask, or maybe the Benjamin Huntsman pub. Neither does fabulously wonderful food, but they both do perfectly satisfactory food and they have the advantage of being immediately opposite the City Hall.
Not a chance! Ask was fully booked and turning away people without reservations. Benjamin Huntsman (wonder why it’s called that – it used to have a perfectly sensible name) was full to the rafters. Who would have expected them to be quite so busy at slightly before 6 on a wet and cold and snowy Thursday evening. I can only presume that it was because it was half term.
Nothing for it but to eat in the Yates next door. Bog standard, basic, fairly all right pub food. A bit ironic, really, given that we were going to see a show done by telly cooks!
We were right at the back of the circle – not too bad given that I had bought the tickets less than 24 hours before. Apart from the top level, the City Hall was packed. Only a few people in the top – but I don’t think they had been intending to use it. It wasn’t an option when I booked our tickets.
And the show was great. The Bikers were very funny and told lots of good stories. They did some cooking as well – a south Indian prawn curry and a buttered fillet steak, both with various bits and pieces. The steak came with a lemon and courgette linguine which looked lovely. Actually – it all looked lovely. One lucky couple got to eat the curry on stage (they were more or less hoiked up by one of the Bikers). Another lucky couple, chosen in a more seemly manner, got to eat the steak and linguine. We drooled over the food, laughed a lot and had a lovely evening. I would very, very much rather have eaten their fillet than the Yates rump steak I had actually had for dinner.
It was £40 well spent. If they come to a venue near you I would recommend the show without reservation. But try and be in the front row, when you may get the chance to go on stage and eat a dinner cooked by Simon King and Dave Myers.
It was snowing with even more vigour when we came out after the show. And I didn’t have my hat! Fortunately, I did have a nice long scarf on, which could double as a head cover and scarf.
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Right. The impulse buying really has to stop. I was idly pottering about on the online Apple for Education shop, where students and staff in Higher Education can get discounts on Apple products. How much, I wonder, would a basic Macbook Pro be? Gosh! And a Mac printer? Goodness! And how about iWork and iDVD? Golly! And much happiness – I’ve just been paid. There is almost exactly that amount in my bank account. I think I might buy this pretty little package. It may mean that we will have to live on bread, lentils and potatoes for the next few months, but I’m sure it will be worth it.
There’s no money in my bank account any more. Fortunately, the freezers are fairly full, so we may be able to vary the diet a bit. But definitely no more buying of anything until my poor bank account has stopped quaking in terror.
Oh – except I do need a new screen for my existing Macbook. The present one is getting less and less viewable. Freyja says that one of her techies at work might be able to fit it for me. Then I’ll clear it up and give it to The Builder. I really must back the photos up onto my external hard drive, mind. I wonder how difficult that’s going to be with only part of the screen viewable
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