My first Cawl

Off message. Ashamed to say that for the 1st time ever I cooked a traditional #Welsh #Cawl. 

Salt Marsh Lamb, carrots, spuds, parsnips & of course leeks. Forgot the swede. 

With wholemeal bread, welsh butter, caerphilly cheese, pickled red cabbage. 

Hat tip Jamie Oliver who uses 5 times world Cawl champion, Sue Jones recipe. 

Only salt and pepper seasoning. I didn't leave the dish overnight as recommended. 

Cheese and lamb went surprisingly well.

Lovely, even if I say so myself. Will cook my more usual #scouse next week to compare.

Lots of interest on Facebook about this post. Lamb stew in all its forms is very important to lots of people. I found it fascinating that one person remembered that the father had the lamb pieces while the children had mince. I wonder what the mother (and cook) had?

Working class home cooked food is as interesting (or more so to me) as all these posh professional cooking shows.  

West Ham Ward Cable Car Beano

Off message a little but just to prove that not all Labour Party events take place in dusty meeting rooms or involve knocking on doors with clip boards. 

We normally hold our Party ward (or branch) meetings the first Thursday of the month. This month we decided to hold a summer social event instead and take the Emirates Cable Car which goes across the river Thames to Greenwich. 

We met at the new Abbey Road Docklands Light Railway station which is just outside our ward.  While waiting for others to join us, we had a quick tour of the nearby magnificent Abbey Gardens. 

By 7pm 10 of us had turned up (including comrades from Plaistow North ward). I was stopped on the station platform by 2 tourists who asked me where "The Beatles" Zebra crossing was? I had to tell them that they were at the wrong Abbey Road and the one they want is near St Johns Wood station. This is quite a common mistake here. I was also once stopped by an American tourist at Stratford station who asked which way was it to "Shakespeare house"?

The nearest station for the cable car was Royal Victoria. The Dock and the Cable station was extremely impressive. Only £3.20 one way. Cabins normally took 10 people but it was a bit windy so we were restricted to 6. There was no queue and you just walked onto the cabin. 

I have never been on this ride before. Our oldest ward member 84 year old Gerry had never been in a cable car before in his life! The view during the journey over Newham and East London was superb. Visibility was excellent. At Greenwich we had a few drinks, missed the last Cable Car back (9pm) then took a train on the Jubilee line to Stratford, then off to the Jamie Oliver Restaurant at Westfield shopping centre for a late meal and lots of hot air putting the world to rights. It was a good evening.