De Havilland aircraft & the film Rebecca
What’s the connection between the de Havilland aircraft & the film Rebecca? Movie trivia: Here’s little piece of trivia with which to bore your friends. There is a strong connection between the aircraft company that made, amongst other things, the World War Two Mosquito bomber and the fabulous Alfred Hitchcock movie, Rebecca. Rebecca, one of the best films ever, starred Joan Fontaine in the leading female role....
Love thy neighbour?
Love thy neighbour There are several things about modern day life than have the ability to annoy me, if I let them. Old people – and I suppose I’m definitely getting there – regret that we have lost our sense of community. Sadly, this is true. Even in my wonderful neighbourhood. There was a perfect example today. A certain discarded item found its way onto the parking lot of our building. It had been spray-painted...
Sophia Loren and Omar Sharif: Eggplant cook-off
Sophia Loren and Omar Sharif: Eggplant cook-off Actress Sophia Loren admits freely that she loves food. Indeed,she attributed her looks to the plentiful consumption of pasta. If only… It is true though that a Mediterranean style diet is highly recommended for health and Sophia Loren does seem to be the proof of the pudding. She has what you would call a healthy appetite. In her autobiography she tells a story of an event that...
Okay, who did the ‘smelly poo’?
British Airways and the ‘smelly poo’ Yes well, sorry, but that how the BBC described it and if it’s good enough for the BBC, it’s good enough for JAQUO. This is because of the news story that broke on March 12th, 2015. A British Airways flight from London to Dubai had been in the air for about half an hour. The captain put out a call saying that he needed to see a ‘senior member’ of the cabin crew....
Menu-speak
Ten menu clichés Have you noticed how very flowery the language on restaurant menus has become? It seems that chefs (or possibly restaurant managers) are trying to outdo themselves and that there’s some secret competition to see who can develop the fanciest language. There was time (see the image above) when restaurants were content to describe their food plainly. You would be unlikely to see ‘stewed tomatoes’ on a...
Love, Nina: By Nina Stibbe
Love, Nina: By Nina Stibbe This book didn’t just make me chuckle. It wasn’t the case of a quick chortle. No, this book made me laugh – a lot. In 1982, Nina Stibbe was twenty years old when she moved to London to work as a nanny. The family she worked for were delightful – and incredibly funny – as were their neighbours and friends. And Nina wrote letters home to her sister describing it all. What you...
Man pays £10,000 to investigate kitten’s murder
Man pays £10,000 to investigate kitten’s murder Little Farah, a black kitten, was shot by someone using an air-rifle. The likelihood is that she was shot when playing in her owner’s garden. She died a painful death. She belonged to a young English medical student and the girl’s father, Neil Tregarthen, promised to do what he could to find out who was responsible. He had to, because the police said there was nothing...
Who was Dodi Al Fayed?
Who was Dodi Al Fayed? In 1997 Dodi Al Fayed, aged forty two, died in a car crash in Paris. With him was his new love, Princess Diana. But how had this relationship started? Largely, it was engineered by his father, Mohamed. Mohamed Al Fayed had been a friend of Diana’s father, Earl Spencer. Diana didn’t know him well at that time but later, when as the Princess of Wales she shopped at Harrods in London, Mohamed would be...
Yorkshire Cooking: Yorkshire Ale and Rye Bread
Some folk might say to use good Yorkshire ale to make bread is a mortal sin. But as you only use half a bottle in this recipe, you can pour out the rest and enjoy it with a slab of this full flavoured bread and a hunk of Wensleydale cheese. If you do that all will be forgiven, and you will be at peace with the world. Save Print Yorkshire Cooking: Yorkshire Ale and Rye Bread Rating 5 from 1 reviews Ingredients 300g rye flour 200g...
How to make your BigOven recipes public
How to make your BigOven recipes public Are you using the fabulous BigOven system to collect your JAQUO recipes? If so, then you’ll know how easy it is to create grocery shopping lists, develop weekly meal plans and quickly calculate the nutritional value of the meals you serve to your family and friends. When you have a BigOven account- which is free – you can use either your computer,your phone or your tablet to collect...
Websites on phones and tablets
How does your website look on a phone? Are you reading this using your phone? If so, you know how great it looks and works. If you’re using a computer, then the image on the right will demonstrate to you how great it looks and how easy it is to use. Smartphones seem to have been with us forever now. I’d love to give you statistics about how many people are now using them, but by the time I get to the end of this sentence,...
Use BigOven to save your recipes … and more
Use BigOven to save your recipes … and more We’ve partnered with BigOven to let you easily save recipes on JAQUO to your phone or tablet, to make grocery lists and menu plans. BigOven is a great free recipe organizer and grocery list used by millions of cooks. It’s available for iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone and the web. When you visit a recipe on this site, we give you two handy options. You can print the recipe –...
Where to buy Petrol in My Blood
Where to buy Petrol in My Blood by Eric Jackson Eric Jackson’s biography, Petrol in My Blood, is available worldwide. Below, you’ll find the links for most of the sites from which you can buy this true adventure story. Worldwide shipping direct from the publisher You can buy both hardcover or paperback versions of the book directly from the publisher. The company has distribution plants in the USA, Europe, the UK and...
Fernando Alonso: Testing accident 2015
Fernando Alonso: Testing accident 2015 If you know me at all,then you are aware that all Formula One drivers -past, present and more than likely future – are heroes in my eyes. Although like most F1 aficionados, I will secretly admit to having particular favourites, one of which is Fernando Alonso. That’s why I’m very puzzled by the testing accident he had in February 2015. With the season starting in just a few...
Another day in paradise?
Another day in paradise? Well… Subtitle: A bucket, a skipping rope and a coconut Yes, but today was a day in paradise with a difference. The phrase is one that we Floridians use a lot – after all, we live in one of the most beautiful places with wonderful weather. But this morning was an interesting one… I get up before it’s light – I like to get an early start on the day – and I don’t know...
Now they’re messing with Newcastle Brown Ale
Now they’re messing with Newcastle Brown Ale Now don’t get me wrong. I live in the United States. I love the country. But I do with that they would stop messing with English food. Only a couple of weeks go, I had to rant about them changing Cadbury’s Creme Eggs. Now, they’re messing with Newkie Brown. I do think that the country has its priorities bit mixed up. As it is, foods like haggis and certain French...
Prince Charles – New biography
Charles: Heart of a King The author of this new biography about Prince Charles claims that it was authorised and that she had exclusive access to the prince and to members of his household at Clarence House. The BBC is reporting that this simply isn’t true. They say that they have been informed directly from Clarence House that the book certainly wasn’t authorised by the prince, the palace or the royal family. The book,...
Yorkshire Cooking: Parkin
Yorkshire Parkin. Parkin is a delicious ginger flavoured sponge cake associated with the north of England, particularly Lancashire and Yorkshire. There are regional variations, particularly with the use of spices and sugars – but this recipe keeps it simple and confines the spice to just powdered ginger. Every Yorkshire family that’s worth its salt can make Parkin (sometimes called ‘Tharf cake’), and this is my mother-in-law’s recipe....
Hanging out with Alzheimer’s
Hanging out with Alzheimer’s Last week, one of the aides at Mom’s facility showed me a picture of one of the residents with her husband when they were young. It might have been their wedding photo, they looked so happy. They could have been taken right out of a scene from a Bing Crosby movie. He was dressed in a sailor uniform, she in a sweet dress. Both had big smiles on their very young faces. More often than not when...
The Sun newspaper stops topless page three feature
The Sun newspaper stops topless page three feature I just don’t get it. The Sun, in case you don’t know, is a British tabloid newspaper. It is not necessarily a paper for the intellectually superior. For the last forty-four years – which is more or less for as long as many people can remember – page three of the newspaper has featured a glamour shot of a topless model. On 20th January 2015, it was announced...
Yes, you can get married on Fort Lauderdale Beach
Do you need permission to get married on Fort Lauderdale Beach? You don’t even need a permit if you want to exchange your vows on Fort Lauderdale’s gorgeous beach. It’s a wonderful place for a destination wedding – and the honeymoon,of course. Your guests will also love travelling to the sunshine and beautiful climate that South Florida has to offer. One of the best times of the day to marry on the beach is...
Using Pinterest
How to use Pinterest Are you using Pinterest to promote your business or your work? If so, then it’s a good idea to make the most of the service every time you pin an image from your blog or website. Using Pinterest to your best advantage requires no special skills. It simply means that you have to use the same basic common sense that you do when you are working online. The first thing to remember is that for every article you...
Wakes Cakes
Wakes Cakes The origins of Wakes Cakes dates back to the 7th century. Wakes days (and later weeks) in Britain were periods of localised celebration in honour of a patron saint of a particular church or parish. It was traditional to keep watch, or ‘wake’, in church on the eve of the dedication day, but over time the wake became an evening of feasting, often in the church-yard. This gradually degenerated into drunkenness and...
The Great Beer Disaster
The Great Beer Disaster of 1814. On Monday October 17, 1814, a huge vat of beer burst in the centre of London sending a tidal wave of black porter ale, 15 feet high, flooding into houses, drowning people, and demolishing property in its wake. At the heart of London’s retail centre today is a crossroads, where the Charing Cross Road, intersects with Oxford Street, New Oxford Street, and Tottenham Court Road. Just a few yards along...
Yorkshire Cooking: Sly Cakes
Sly Cakes. Sly Cakes originated in the North of England, probably early in the 19th century, and is likely to be a regional variation on Eccles Cakes, which were sold commercially in the Manchester area from 1793. Sly Cakes have a pastry surround with an inner core of dried fruits and nuts. It is baked in a rectangle brick-like shape, then cut into squares when cold. It can still be found made in the Northern English counties of...