THAMES & TWEED

[John Harding]

Good evening all,

Just over a week ago I attended John Mullock's sale and one of the items that I purchased was a copy of Thames and Tweed by George Rooper which was published around about 1870. I haven't started to read the book yet but I have flicked through the pages, as you do, and when I got to the back there was a note pencilled in which I find quite intriguing.

The note :-


The note is in the form of a list which reads :- Roach 28
as food 35
weight 35
Barbel
food 39
catch 44
Chub 45
Perch 48
Eel 52
Pike 58
Salmon scarce 59

Now I don't know if the note/list is contemporary with the book or if it has been added much later, but whenever It was written in the book it is quite a puzzle to put a meaning to the list, particularly the references to food, surely it doesn't mean the amount of food obtained from the roach and barbel as I would have thought the last four fish on the list would have been a better choice for food.

Any thoughts ?





Hope it's of interest,
Regards, John

[Olly]

Not a reference to the pages then?

I have eaten a roach once - baked and stuffed with egg. Better than a bream that is full of bones. Or a chub that it is said to be "like eating cotton wool" with so many bones! Also had tinned 'quenelle de brochet' - pike in France - like sandre or perch - never again.

Sea fish only thanks!

[Duckett]

The roach pole of east London was certainly developed for people who wished to catch roach for the pot on the River Lee. I believe Gudgeon were also taken for the pot.

Of the not now eaten in the UK fish on that list, I have eaten perch and roach up to half a pound in France. Roach require a flavour boost but pan friend Perch fillets are very tasty. The more recently arrived Zander (Sandre in French) is, in my humble opinion, quite delicious whilst smaller Pike under about 5lbs are extremely tasty poached (though, I cannot agree with the people of Lyon about turning even huge Pike into a sort of mousse produces anything more than flavourless cotton wool - the Quenelle de Brochet referred to above by Olly above which is poor enough fresh but I dread to imagine the tinned version).

Though not angled for, Lamprey a la Bordelaise (red wine shallot/onion/leek sauce) is sublime though looks revolting (a Mackerel wrapped round a black pudding lying in a pool of blood!) and I have had it in restaurants in France reluctant to serve it to the British as some of us (not me!) tend to send it back to the kitchen.

When I was a young lad back on The Wirral, the local anglers had a recipe for Bream, "Take one Bream, a length of good string and two bread boards. Put the gutted fish between the boards and tie up with the string. Add to a pot of boiling water with some root vegetables and cook for 24 hours. Take the fish out, cut off the string, throw away the Bream and eat the boards."

Fresh water fish we now tend not eat was a much needed food for folk up until relatively recently and is still a staple in much of the rest of the world.

[Nigel Rainton]

I lived in Budapest for a while and had zander (fogass) poached on the bone in white wine. I took a salmon kettle from the UK to cook them in, it was a very delicate and tasty fish.

I also had carp soup, in a restaurant, which was terrible.

The numbers might be page numbers from a recipe book.

[Duckett]

I lived in Budapest for a while and had zander (fogass) poached on the bone in white wine. I took a salmon kettle from the UK to cook them in, it was a very delicate and tasty fish.

I also had carp soup, in a restaurant, which was terrible.

The numbers might be page numbers from a recipe book.

I have had friends in the Czech Republic since the wall came down and they introduced me to fried carp in a spicy breadcrumb coating on a visit to Brno. I found it pleasant enough but they loath it, having been forced to eat it every Christmas. I feel much the same about turkey! Funny thing is, there is brown and white meat on a carp and if you aren’t given both, my Czech friends say you are being cheated!

Phil

[Nigel Rainton]

I visited Brno, it was an experience I'll never forget, unfortunately. I don't remember anything about the food, only the beer. And the local airport. And the bus ride.

[Duckett]

I visited Brno, it was an experience I'll never forget, unfortunately. I don't remember anything about the food, only the beer. And the local airport. And the bus ride.

Hah! Yes indeed, some fine beer. Did you find the brewpub Pegas? There's worse though, I was introduced to Absinthe there at a student pub called The Hobbit! A much more interesting and friendly city than Praha.

[Nigel Rainton]

I'm afraid I've hijacked this post, many apologies.

I don't remember which drinking establishments I visited.

I boarded a flight at Prague to Brno, escorted to the departure gate by a rather rude air hostess. I showed my First Class ticket and boarding pass at the aircraft door and was lead to my seat. The doors shut, we taxied and the pilot came on the radio to announce our departure to Poland ! I refused to be kidnapped and we eventually returned to the gate. I was escorted into the terminal by armed police and questioned. I finally boarded a six seater light aircraft and as we were lining up to take off, the pilot again announced our departure to Poland! I lost hope.

We climbed through the clouds and landed about an hour later. There were no buildings, no other aircraft and the thick fog hid the landscape. I didn't know where I was, a couple of passengers climbed into cars and the plane left. I stood in freezing fog, on a patch of tarmac next to a chain link fence. Nothing. No phone signal. I waited for 30 minutes, thinking about my predicament. A big black Mercedes limo arrived and my young blonde Czech PA welcomed me to Brno.

I'll hijack another post and tell you all about the return journey, it was even more of a shambles.