Covid – we have record number of cases and free testing will end. Out sick pay is amongst lowest in Europe and firms, already struggling with low staff levels are having to cut back services (e.g. delivery to shops).
SATURDAY RECIPES
CORNWALL
Some facts our wonderful government paid £170m covid grants to Cornish holiday let businesses; Cost of 2nd home owners avoiding council tax to CornwallCC £17 million; There are 12776 second homes and more than 11000 holiday lets – and 21817 people on councils housing register. In the past year house prices in Cornwall were 7% up on the year before and 23% up on 2019 when they averaged at £270,554, now £330097.
WEATHER – APRIL
Forecast for the month is typically British in the south west – rain, possible sleet, gales, sunny, a bit warmer than average but no prolonged period of settled weather.
WORLD CUP DRAW
8 Groups – looking at Pot 2 with Germany and Netherlands, and England, Spain, Portugal, France and Belgium in Pot 1 it makes a point for UEFA Euro Championship being more difficult to win than the FIFA World Cup. Will anyone come to challenge them and Brazil/Argentina – and note that Italy did not qualify! Whilst some individuals from outside these countries have been totally outstanding (Salah, Male, Son amongst many others), the ‘big 10’ still dominate in team strength based on thorough youth programmes.
SHIT
Raw sewage pumped into rivers 372533 times last year. Our wonderful government and the privatised companies which have dished out millions of £ to shareholders, have agreed to cut these discharges by 40% by 2040. Honestly this is not a typo, and the government say it is a step change! So in 18 years time there will only be 223520 discharges of raw shit into our rivers. What a fragrant government we have!
WATER
Water companies dumped sewage into our rivers and coast 372,533 times last year! How shitty is that?
NHS
More corruption by the government. NHS Trusts seem to be political appointments rather than being based on medical knowledge or even financial ability. The system is flawed, as the tories want it to be, so they can privatise it.
APRICT, CORIANDER AND CHILLI CHICKEN
You can ask your butcher to spatchcock the chicken. Alternatively, cut down either side of the chicken’s backbone with a pair of sharp scissors and discard it. Then lay the chicken out flat like a book, skin side up. Press firmly on the breast bone with the palm of your hand to really flatten it out.
Serves 6
chicken 1.8kg, spatchcocked
unsalted butter 60g, melted
olive oil 4 tbsp
garlic 3 cloves, peeled
cumin seeds 1 tsp
ground coriander 1 tsp
dried chilli flakes 1 tsp
dried apricots 50g, roughly chopped
lemon ½
coriander ½ x 20g bunch
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
onions 4, peeled
chicken stock 300ml, hot
Take your chicken out of the fridge 20 minutes before cooking it. Place the melted butter in a blender or mini food processor along with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the peeled garlic, cumin seeds, ground coriander, dried chilli flakes, dried apricots and the juice of the lemon half. Add all the coriander stalks and half the leaves. Season generously with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and blitz to a paste. Slash the skin on the chicken thighs and rub the spiced apricot butter all over the chicken. Cut the onions into 2.5cm wedges and place in the bottom of a large roasting tray to create a trivet. Drizzle the onions with the remaining olive oil, then place the chicken on top.
When you are ready to cook your chicken, preheat your oven to 180C fan/gas mark 6. Pour the hot stock into the base of the tray and pop in the oven. Cook for 1 hour, then turn the oven up to 200C/gas mark 7 for a further 10 minutes, to get a lovely char on the skin, until just cooked through (pierce the meat in the thigh, and check that the juices run clear. There shouldn’t be any blood). Remove the tray from the oven, and you can leave it to rest as is. But I like to pop the tray directly on the hob for a few more minutes, just enough to reduce the stock a little more until slightly thickened. Spoon the juices and onions onto a large serving platter and top with the charred chicken. Finish by roughly chopping and scattering over the remaining coriander.
Georgina Hayden is a cook and author of Nistisima (Bloomsbury, £26)
PMQ’S
What will Starmer say? Partygate? Ukraine – no point in anything other than support. The point of PMQ’s is the question. Energy costs and the budget. NHS parking? Will Johnson seek to either blame Labour (despite the years out of office) or what he suggests they would do? Suggestions of nationalisation would be good but unlikely.
Weak performance by Starmer again. He did ask for a resignation though. Why does he not respond to Johnsons lies?