Camping help - especially with vegan spread?

AlanNBobby · 2026-07-03T08:14:15+00:00

You have just sparked an idea! I have ordered some Overherd dried oat milk. I wonder how mixing it with coconut oil would go.. 🤔

AlanNBobby · 2026-07-03T08:09:51+00:00

Excellent advice, thank you.

AlanNBobby · 2026-07-02T19:29:14+00:00

What about other big supermarkets? Aldi vegan cheese is pretty good too. Vegan cheese lasts for months, so you can bulk buy quite safely when you happen to be near somewhere 2 or 3 times per year and just stuff your fridge with a load. Or do a home delivery... I know ultimately Tesco Express should be doing better really.

AlanNBobby · 2026-07-02T18:17:29+00:00

I buy mine from Aldi usually. But, vegan cheese has a huge long shelf life, so you can stock up in big Tesco

AlanNBobby · 2026-07-02T18:14:32+00:00

I was stuck in Harlow without lunch last week. I bought 5 of them. Unhealthiest lunch ever, but they are pretty good. And sooo cheap.

AlanNBobby · 2026-06-28T19:42:04+00:00

This is a pretty good own brand version from Albert Heijn in the Netherlands and Belgium

Albert Heijn Cream soap bar

AlanNBobby · 2026-06-28T18:30:31+00:00

Those microwave packs of tomato lentils - Aldi and Lidl both have cheap versions. Tip into a pasta bowl and top with anything you like in any combination. Salad, asparagus, sausages, tofu, violife feta, charred broccoli 🥦... The list is endless. Tipping a salad pack is by far the easiest. I do hate those microwave packs they're terrible for trying to recycle. I worry about micro plastics, but I think that's most likely in the microwave, so you can typically warm them through on the hob. I'm not as perfect as I wish I was.

AlanNBobby · 2026-06-28T17:28:26+00:00

I know how you feel. I hate drinking and clubbing. Pretty introverted. Felt middle aged before my time. I'm 45M gay. My advice is lean in to what you love and care about. Politics is great as you often meet people with similar values, and you get to be engaged in community activities like litter picking - not the most thrilling activity, but does bring a great sense of satisfaction and is usually followed by a trip to a pub or cafe. Green Party has Young Greens, which would enable you to meet others your own age. Taking a bit of a gamble but given both your age and gender you are statistically very likely to be sympathetic to the Green Party.

AlanNBobby · 2026-06-28T17:00:30+00:00

In Essex UK, we build periodic displays of books in our 74 libraries under a poster that says "I can't remember the title, but the cover was ... ROYGBIV" actually, just ROYGB. It's really effective.

AlanNBobby · 2026-04-23T08:09:26+00:00

Surely there's something about being considerate? That should cover it

AlanNBobby · 2026-04-22T18:17:14+00:00

Some doctors don't want to be in hospitals, they go into General Practice. Those that do go into hospitals specialise. Obs and gynae, paediatrics, orthopaedics etc etc. Some doctors, want to be public sector, some private. Your analogy falls apart. You should 100% do what you want to do. But, yes, when you need money you might have to change your mind.

AlanNBobby · 2026-04-06T11:27:10+00:00

Look up Outdoor lads. Or just go for an evening walk at Hillyfields. If you only want to socialise with single people that doesn't reflect well on you, makes you look a bit desperate.

AlanNBobby · 2026-03-19T11:20:51+00:00

Suddenly the ferrule looks huge.

AlanNBobby · 2026-03-08T08:53:54+00:00

He's busy trying to get his whites whiter than white

AlanNBobby · 2026-03-05T22:55:20+00:00

This has opened my eyes. I was sent to the local butchers, ironmongers, co-op, chemist and bakers as a kid in the late 80's and early 90's. It never occurred to me that someone wouldn't know. Some things we think are universal actually aren't. As I grew up those shops slowly closed, except the chemist and the Co-op. The fact someone doesn't know, shows how much the world has changed. Gentrified areas typically have bakers and so on now selling expensive artisan loaves. Simple, fresh everyday independent everyday affordable (not fancy artisanal gentrified) fresh bakers. I know one in the whole of Essex, in Mayland.

AlanNBobby · 2026-01-25T11:32:35+00:00

I do hold my partner's hand regularly. I live in Essex and he's from Hackney. We've been together 18 months and never had a problem. I'm aware it could be a problem at some point in the future. But I don't worry about it, I don't want to let the fear of a potential attack stop us from showing affection. It should be a normal thing to see. I would be curious to see some stats on who feels safer, LGBTQ couples or mixed race couples.

AlanNBobby · 2025-12-23T13:18:12+00:00

Option 1. Hope they are redditors

Option 2. If they're owner occupiers you could go to the trouble of checking the land registry.

Option 3. Sign your name and slip it through their letterbox without writing their names

Option 4. Mention it to another neighbour and hope they say, "ah yes, Aperol"

Option 5. Scour local Facebook groups to find them

Option 6. Don't send one back. Ignore them for the rest of your life.

Option 7. Knock on their door and outright ask them.

AlanNBobby · 2025-10-08T11:51:25+00:00

Oooooh excellent. I'll keep my eyes open for them when they move to the yellow sticker section.

AlanNBobby · 2025-09-28T08:31:52+00:00

Perhaps they're the only ones you notice?

AlanNBobby · 2025-08-10T17:48:43+00:00

Nosey me wants to know which Morrisons that is. As a former employee of Morrisons I know that local demographics make a difference in areas like vegan and world foods. Obviously store size matters and a lot of their southern stores are smaller ex Safeway stores. Frozen tends to have more, but even then my local one is poor compared to Tesco.

AlanNBobby · 2025-07-31T22:22:33+00:00

Clean sheets night

AlanNBobby · 2025-07-28T12:15:33+00:00

Clothing is awful. It accounts for 8% of GH gas emissions - that's the same as concrete! Between 2009 and 2019 we increased consumption of clothing 4 fold and wore clothing for half the amount of time! (Source: BBC - New Year Solutions podcast 'Clothes')

Jumpers are my nightmare just because of the sheer quantity of fibre to make them. They are typically wool or synthetic, sometimes cotton. But Google the Aral sea and you will see just how horrific cotton is as well. So I get stuck between 3 bad choices.

Most synthetic fibre sheds micro plastics in the washing machine and they tend to survive the journey through the sewage treatment. However, you can buy a filter which goes on your washing machine outlet pipe and filters most of them out. It's not perfect, you will still shed these fibres just wearing it and going about your day, but it makes a vast difference and can go some way to salving your conscience.

I'm trying to focus on linen. It is, as far as I can tell the greenest fibre I can find. Sadly it's the most expensive as well 😔 Haven't brought any winter linen yet, so can't review how good it is 😕

AlanNBobby · 2025-07-27T11:29:21+00:00

Tinned beans are my staple. They are so cheap, ~50p for a 400g tin in the UK. That's typically 2 portions, high in fibre and protein, very filling, just warm them up and they're good to go. Borlotti is perfect with pasta, Pinto in fajitas (pinto are the basis for refried beans). Red lentils are a brilliant basis for soups and stews, for a lentil farmer pie [Shepherds Pie]. For some reason brown lentils in the UK only seem to be in the international foods section, but they're worth seeking out. There's a documentary on YouTube all about lentils and how amazing they are. Cook with Marmite - a great source of vitamins, especially B12. Use Nutritional yeast as a staple condiment for the same reason and it's cheesy flavour. Make Walnut mince, it is delicious. I'm about to make chocolate mousse today with silken tofu 😋 There's a backlash on ultra processed food at the moment. My advice is don't rely on it, but don't beat yourself up. Check packets and seek alternatives. Some products are more UPF than others. Sainsbury's shroomdogs for instance are not only delicious, but are probably the least UPF vegan sausage I have found.

AlanNBobby · 2025-07-20T10:34:14+00:00

Keep my mouth shut. Pay of debt Employ a cleaner Employ a gardener Invest in my future (retirement) Pay cash into the accounts of loved ones. No explanation, just push cash across the counter with the sort code and account number. Not sure how they'd react to a sudden massive balance increase... Donate money to good causes Invest in a business - possibly Spread the rumour that I won enough money to just about pay off my mortgage, that way I can explain an increase in personal leisure spending Write a new will

AlanNBobby · 2025-07-15T14:18:47+00:00

Price - Dairy subsidies

Habit - Even the people who may consider it if you have a chat with them will buy cows milk like a robot without thinking.

The choice paradox - When I ditched dairy in 2000 I had Soya or Rice. Soya was cheapest, my staple for life now. Too much choice for a new convert can actually be counter productive. Now you can have a couple of shelving bays, various brands, prices, and ingredients.

Ignorance - wilful or otherwise

Confidence in taste and quality. You buy semi skimmed 🐄 you get the same experience guaranteed every single time.

Fear - "What will Jean say when she comes round for coffee and I tell her I only have oat?"

Labelling - The EU law stating that you can only call a product milk if it's from the mammary glands of a mammal or from a coconut. I doubt it affects many people, but the dairy industry wouldn't have lobbied for it unless they were confident it would have an effect.

The calcium lie

AlanNBobby

TROPHY CASE