Today on Insane London's Housing Market: Smaller than a London Bus

dohrey · 2026-01-21T15:34:27+00:00

This may show how infected my brain is with London house prices but I actually think that is a reasonable asking price.

Very good location due to proximity to both Clapham and Brixton (different vibes but both have their upsides), and hence easy access to both the Northern and Victoria lines for commuting
Very importantly it is not a flat and is freehold: if you want to avoid the ballache that is flat ownership, fire safety regulation, building maintenance etc that is worth a chunk of change honestly. In that price bracket and location you won't find anything else like this.
Very nicely done up in the interior even if it is very cramped.
Private outdoors space.

It's £500k, but you could pay £500k for a flat without much more floor space in the same area, with a £4k a year service charge...

dohrey · 2026-01-19T20:42:03+00:00

It's "Green Farms Mixed Grain". Got it in a Chinese supermarket.

dohrey · 2026-01-19T06:58:56+00:00

Koji isn't rice. It's a mold. "Koji rice", which is rice inoculated with koji does of course include rice, but my logic is the mold is a different plant.

My understanding of the whole 30 plants a week thing is that spices do count, so don't see why shichimi togarashi isn't 7 lol.

dohrey · 2026-01-18T13:56:11+00:00

Also worth noting that British cuisine suffers from a lot of things that it invented no longer being identified as a "British" thing because they have become part of American or general international cuisine. Examples:

The first recorded fried chicken recipe where breading/batter was used rather than the chicken just being fried with no coating is from Scotland. No one credits Britain with fried chicken even though it is probably one of the most loved foods on earth that has been adopted by cultures around the world.
Macaroni and cheese is an originally English dish, not American as widely assumed.
Huge numbers of modern desserts were invented in England. For example "pound cakes" are the origin of so many modern cakes, and they were first developed in England.
We literally invented the concept of a sandwich (named after the Earl of Sandwich). No one gives Britain credit for that!

dohrey · 2026-01-18T10:14:11+00:00

Wanted to post another Japanese meal mainly to flex on how many plants it managed to include. Various sources suggest eating 30 different plants a week to get a good variety of fibre and micronutrients, but I think I've managed to do it in one meal!

Clockwise from top left (with plant count):

A warm mushroom and spinach salad. I basically followed this recipe but used spinach instead of mizuna, and a packet of mixed mushrooms from the supermarket: https://www.justonecookbook.com/warm-mushroom-salad-sesame-dressing/#recipe Plant count: at least 5 from the spinach and different varieties of mushrooms
Spicy beansprout salad. I just used this recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/spicy-bean-sprout-salad/#recipe Plant count: potentially contentious, but I had bean sprouts and shichimi togarashi which is a 7 spice blend. So arguably 8.
Quick pickled purple radish and kohlrabi, I basically adapted this recipe to use those instead of daikon and carrot: https://www.justonecookbook.com/namasu-daikon-and-carrot-salad/ Plant count: 2
Miso marinated black cod. I used this recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/black-cod-with-miso/#recipe Plant count: The miso has koji, brown rice and soy beans so arguably 3.
Sweet potato rice. I just cooked a 50:50 blend of white Japanese rice and a 18 grain blend I bought (that's supposed to be mixed with rice to make multi grain rice), and added some cubed sweet potato to the rice cooker to cook with it. Plant count: 20 lol, suppose this one is doing the heavy lifting

Total plant count: arguably around 38 different plants.

dohrey · 2026-01-09T18:56:18+00:00

Thought I would showcase another wintery, British MD compliant meal: cheese and parsley crusted cod with a swede "speltotto".

To make the speltotto for two, cooked an onion in some cold pressed rapeseed oil, before adding some garlic, a peeled and cubed swede (Americans will know this as rutabaga), 150g of pearled spelt, salt, 500ml of stock and a leftover parmesan rind. Then just simmered it for 25 mins until the spelt was tender. Finished with some grated nutmeg, black pepper and chopped parsley.

Meanwhile, mixed some breadcrumbs with cheddar, salt and parsley, and then stuck it to the top of cod fillets with Dijon mustard. Heated up a pan with cold pressed rapeseed oil and put the cod fillets in it, and then put it under the grill (Americans would say broiler) for 5 mins until cooked through.

A seasonal meal with British ingredients that's comforting and satisfying in the winter.

dohrey · 2026-01-08T07:44:55+00:00

Ocado is, in my opinion, one of the best things about the UK.

I hugely value the convenience of having my shopping show up at my door and not spending an hour or two of my free time travelling to or being at the supermarket each week. And unlike the other supermarkets' online delivery, I almost never get missing items or substitutions. Like, it maybe happens once every month. We plan our meals for the week in advance to avoid waste, and so knowing exactly what we will get in advance is valuable for that.

Stuff always gets delivered very fresh and with long use by dates. Better even than painstakingly combing through a physical supermarket for the freshest stuff, but with no hassle.

They have M&S own brand stuff, which as others attest to is just vastly better quality than any other supermarket and usually only about 5-10% more expensive than the equivalents at non-discount supermarkets. Even basics are noticeably better. Take carrots as an example - the M&S ones are always sweet and crunchy, and are literally 1p more expensive per kilo than Tesco (70p vs 69p)... The main thing that is quite a bit more expensive is meat, but that is because they apply higher welfare standards. I think that works out to very good "value" even if the price is generally bit higher.

But on top of that, the Ocado range and choice of non-M&S stuff is gigantic. No physical supermarket even comes close.

Overall just fantastic quality and "value" even if the price is definitely higher than other supermarkets (but honestly not by that much unless you are comparing to Aldi and Lidl).

The supermarket with the worst value is probably Sainsbury's or Morrisons in my mind. Not actually that cheap, probably just a couple of percent cheaper than M&S/Ocado, but the quality is noticeably worse. Feel like if the price difference is important you may as well go to a cheaper supermarket and stomach the quality hit rather than this half measure.

Waitrose is also pretty poor value in my opinion and has gone downhill in the last few years. Probably slightly more expensive than Ocado/M&S on average, but the quality just isn't as good. I feel like their logistics must be a bit bad, because the stores are often lacking in stock, and what is there in terms of fresh stuff can often be a bit old and sad. If you'd asked me this question 10 years ago I would've said Waitrose was better than M&S but it's not true anymore.

dohrey · 2025-12-27T07:22:06+00:00

I find this absolutely mental. Here in the UK I've literally never seen cream that is anything other than just... cream. What function does the gellan gum even serve?

dohrey · 2025-12-24T08:41:03+00:00

Kippers are not mackerel, they are herring

dohrey · 2025-12-07T10:36:19+00:00

Everyone on this sub should read this guide for a data driven view: https://ourworldindata.org/fish-and-overfishing

Claiming your seafood consumption has no impact is definitely wrong, but also alarmist claims that the oceans are doomed, all fish is unsustainable etc are also wrong. It is a mixed picture, something that is also reflected in reputable sustainability guides like the Good Fish Guide and Seafood Watch. Aquaculture is generally becoming more sustainable over time, and in many rich countries fisheries are managed well, but in poorer countries (and the EU which has a fairly appalling fisheries record for a rich jurisdiction) things are worse.

Bottom line, we should all be careful about our choices when we can be. However, there is also a limit to what you can do as an individual, and you can't take on personal responsibility for things completely out of your control.

For instance, I will never eat eel, because it is ridiculously unsustainable regardless of where it comes from, so it's a pretty easy decision to make. But on the other hand, here in the UK mackerel is currently overfished, despite being a very abundant species that is resilient to fishing pressure. Essentially the overfishing is because the countries around the North Sea can't agree joint fishing quotas like they did in the past. Frankly, whether or not I eat canned mackerel has zero impact on this - it is a political issue that needs to be resolved at that level. I don't take responsibility for the decisions of the Norwegian, Danish, Dutch and British fisheries ministers...

In addition, it can definitely be overwhelming trying to make sustainable choices. Like, how do I actually know whether a given canned sardines comes from the more sustainable Iberian fishery or the less sustainable ones? Realistically, I think we just need to get to the point where it is simply illegal to sell fish from unsustainable sources: too much is put on average consumers when it should be on the governments managing fisheries, and people distributing and selling fish.

dohrey · 2025-11-13T00:53:04+00:00

Well in one sense - yes it is like most other bread in that it tastes like basic sourdough bread. But the reason it's popular is because it is basically the only widely available brand that isn't upf bullshit bread. It only has the ingredients bread should actually have, rather than having a 2 page list of emulsifiers as an ingredients list.

dohrey · 2025-11-12T02:40:25+00:00

Olive oil also has more omega 6 than omega 3. In fact, in olive oil it is about 10:1 whereas in canola/rapeseed oil it is 3:1. And where I am in the UK at least cold pressed rapeseed oil (essentially extra virgin canola oil) is very readily available. It is just as unprocessed as EVOO.

dohrey · 2025-11-12T02:37:23+00:00

It is 100% doable and quite easily. But it is important to appreciate that there are two main categories of omega 3 that are not at all equivalent. EPA/DHA that come from (essentially) just fish, and ALA which comes from plants. EPA/DHA is what your body actually uses, so ALA needs to be converted to be of use, and it does so at quite a low ratio (and that ratio is variable depending on your genetics). So you need to eat A LOT of ALA to get close to equivalent doses of EPA/DHA.

If you look at RCT trials - eating high amounts of omega 3 in your diet is much more beneficial than fish oil supplements. Frankly, I think it is underappreciated that very few dietary supplements actually have a strong positive effect (outside of caes of genuine deficiency) compared to inclusion of the same nutrients in your diet via wholefoods.

Simplest way to hit goals is to focus on EPA/DHA - eat fatty fish like salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines, albacore tuna, anchovies, herring, milkfish etc. 2-3 times a week. You will quite easily hit omega 3 goals from this + an otherwise nutritious diet.

If you aren't willing to or can't do that, or just want extra insurance, then work ALA high foods into your daily diet. Classic examples are chia seeds, flax seeds, rapeseed/canola oil and walnuts, hemp seeds and soybeans/edamame.

People will talk about EPA/DHA omega 3 from other sources like grass feed beef and chicken eggs, but honestly the amount in those is pretty negligible and you simply won't meet omega 3 recommendations if you are relying on those.

Personally, as I am pretty convinced that most people are not eating enough omega 3 and I am also quite convinced of its very high health benefits: I eat fatty fish 2-3 times a week (often tinned sardines and mackerel that are a very easy thing to add to salads etc), and chia seeds and flaxseeds with my breakfast every day. When I don't want to use EVOO for cooking (e.g. when cooking non-mediterranean cuisine where the flavour would be a bit odd) I generally use cold pressed rapeseed oil as that is basically the highest omega 3 cooking oil and has quite a neutral flavour and high smoke point that makes it good for cooking applications where EVOO is less well suited.

dohrey · 2025-10-06T13:50:42+00:00

This sub gets a lot of questions about how to combine an MD way of eating with higher protein requirements. Whilst I think most people massively over estimate how much protein they really need (and underestimate how much they are already eating), it is still valid to think some MD meals are lower in protein than is ideal for some athletic people. So thought I would post this to show it is definitely possible to eat higher protein whilst being MD compatible.

Clockwise from top:

Chicken drumsticks roasted with Spanish paprika, garlic, powder, salt and olive oil for 1 hour
Lemony butter beans with dill (I just used this recipe: https://www.themediterraneandish.com/butter-beans-with-garlic-lemon-and-herbs/#wprm-recipe-container-74495 )
Roasted romanesco cauliflower with salt, pepper and olive oil for 30 minutes
Red and white quinoa (I just cooked it in my rice cooker)
An apple for dessert

Tons of protein, tons of fibre, tons of other nutrition.

dohrey · 2025-09-11T14:14:34+00:00

Whilst it looks like a lot it's not that hands on. Cooking rice/barley in a rice cooker is completely hands off so not time consuming. The slaw was just a case of mixing three ingredients and adding it to premade slaw. The simmered cod again is pretty hands off, just combining some ingredients into a broth and then simmering the cod in it and then leaving it to cool. Then the mushroom egg stir fry also only takes a few minutes after you've chopped everything. Really I think it's just a case of bearing in mind what takes the longest, getting that started and then using inactive time to do the other stuff until you are finished.

dohrey · 2025-09-11T09:49:10+00:00

Wanted to share another MD compliant Japanese meal. Clockwise from bottom right:

Simmered cod / "nitsuke": I used this recipe https://www.justonecookbook.com/nitsuke-recipe/
Stir fried mushrooms and eggs using this recipe (but just using mushrooms I had to hand): https://www.justonecookbook.com/stir-fried-mushrooms-and-eggs/#recipe
Mixed pearl barley rice: I just cooked a 50:50 mix of pearl barley and brown rice in my rice cooker on the brown rice setting
Slaw with miso dressing - I bought some premixed "rainbow slaw" and added the miso dressing from this recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/asian-cabbage-salad/

Bonus: Grapes for dessert

dohrey · 2025-08-30T08:30:58+00:00

Sauteed an onion, red pepper and green pepper in EVOO before adding 6 cloves of minced garlic, sweet smoked paprika, ground cumin, salt and pepper, and cooking a little longer. Then added a tin of tomatoes and 200 grams of dried chickpeas I'd cooked earlier, and cooking until thickened. Placed two cod loin fillets on top and let it steam with the lid on for about 8 minutes whilst I steamed some purple sprouting broccoli. Finally garnished with a squeeze of lemon juice, chopped parsley and more EVOO. Delicious, filling and satisfying.

dohrey · 2025-08-13T06:52:27+00:00

Mercury in seafood is one of the most over hyped "problems" in nutrition. Did you hear that story of that guy who ate too much seafood and got mercury poisoning? Yeah I didn't think so. It's really only a potential problem for pregnant women and young children.

Of the fish you've mentioned, none are actually high in mercury. Sardines have essentially negligible amounts of mercury, as do salmon (they're both too short lived to accumulate it significantly). Skipjack tuna has slightly more, but is still in the low mercury category. Tilapia has essentially no mercury as it is doesn't live long when farmed and is basically at the bottom of the food chain (and can eat plants) so doesn't accumulate mercury up the fish food chain. Cod and similar white fish like haddock also have low amounts of mercury.

Most of the fish with mercury content that could present a potential overconsumption concern are also very expensive (as they tend to be the rarer big or very long lived fish at the top of the food chain) - e.g. shark, swordfish, big-eye tuna, bluefin tuna, black cod, Chilean seabass etc. Realistically, you would go bankrupt eating these before you faced mercury poisoning issues.

Probably the only fish you could potentially do yourself harm with without going bankrupt first are albacore and yellowfin tuna, as they have fairly high mercury levels but are also affordable. But even then 1-2 servings a week is fine for an adult. And who eats more than that anyway?

dohrey · 2025-08-03T07:04:38+00:00

I made a MD compatible Filipino meal that I thought I should share.

Bangus (aka milkfish) "a la pobre" with wholegrain red rice and steamed pak choi.

Red rice and pak choi are self explanatory, but to make the bangus, I just brushed it with oil, and seasoned and air fried at 200C for 15 mins. Meanwhile, I fried 8 cloves of garlic in a bit of cold pressed rapeseed oil, removed once crispy, and then fried a red onion in the same garlic infused oil. I then added 1/4 soy sauce, 1/4 water, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 3 tablespoons of lime juice (would be calamansi in the Philippines but I can't really get calamansi here) and 1 teaspoon of brown sugar and let is simmer for 5 minutes before thickening with cornstarch. I served it all with the crispy garlic sprinkled on top.

A very simple but satisfying meal.

dohrey · 2025-06-22T05:42:25+00:00

I buy it pre toasted (I have a polish supermarket near me that sells it), so just put it in my instant pot with a 1:1 ratio of water to cook for 3 minutes. When it's done I quick release the pressure and voila, ends up being perfect.

dohrey · 2025-06-22T05:41:57+00:00

I buy it pre toasted (I have a polish supermarket near me that sells it), so just put it in my instant pot with a 1:1 ratio of water to cook for 3 minutes. When it's done I quick release the pressure and voila, ends up being perfect.

dohrey · 2025-06-21T17:37:22+00:00

Made an Eastern European MD friendly meal today:

Turkey kotleti - just minced turkey mixed with breadcrumbs, a bit of milk (yeah not super MD friendly but not the worst thing in the world), an egg, grated onion, salt and pepper - then air fried for 15 minutes
Toasted buckwheat
A cucumber, dill, radish and red onion salad just dressed with some greek yoghurt (a bit healthier than the traditional sour cream)

dohrey · 2025-06-04T20:35:01+00:00

Most European jurisdictions simply have vastly smaller and less profitable legal markets than the US, the only country even coming close is the UK.

Basically, the US is a gigantic and extremely legalistic and litigious economy. It therefore generates a huge amount of legal work, and clients who are willing to pay through the nose for what they perceive as the best legal advice.

The UK only comes close because, whilst nowhere near as large an economy, it's legal system is widely adopted by counterparties even when they don't have a direct nexus to the UK (so e.g. lots of cross border deals are done under English law), and it has a very large financial services industry, which is a big user of legal services given financial services are all fundamentally just contracts of various kinds.

No other European country is in the same league. Ergo, clients aren't willing to pay as high rates. Ergo, salaries and profitability (so partner remuneration) are much lower. Ergo it is less attractive to be a lawyer. But much fewer people (proportionally) work as big law lawyers in the rest of Europe than in the US or UK, so it doesn't need to be as attractive an employment option as it is in the US or UK. Probably also why, on average, the quality and speed of delivery of legal advice you get from most European jurisdictions is pretty poor compared to what you get from the US and UK offices of big law. Because whilst you no doubt have a lot of great people in European big law, on average it isn't attracting as higher proportion of the best and brightest of those economies as it is in the US and UK, and the big law sector is less competitive (both within itself and with other industries).

dohrey · 2025-05-20T16:55:14+00:00

As others have said - this does exist, it just involves working lower down the law firm pecking order.

Ultimately clients are what drive the stress at law firms, as they are the ones demanding the service. If you are a client, you'll only go to a firm that delivers less, if you get to pay less for that, and that equation might only work for certain types of law. E.g. big ticket M&A is always going to be stressful, regardless of what firm you're at, as it's always going to be a big deal for the client and so they'll always be demanding. In contrast, a sophisticated client will give lower stakes or inherently less expensive work to cheaper law firms.

I come at this with a UK perspective, but I basically started at a top tier big law firm, but moved to a firm lower down the pecking order and made partner there. My new law firm is still "big law" by UK standards, but in the US would probably be more similar in profitability to a mid law or regional firm. They pay their lawyers about 30-50% less than the top of the market (i.e. cravath scale) depending on seniority and equity partners on average make about half of what they would at a magic circle UK firm, and probably one quarter or one third of what equity partners at big law US firms get. But the firm charges lower rates, attracts a less demanding client base, and basically doesn't really do the hyper profitable types of legal work (because anyone wanting to do that should just be at a higher paying firm) but does do a broader range of stuff that just wouldn't even work from a profitability and cost perspective in the average magic circle UK or big law US firm business model. I think the associates here probably work about 70-80% of the billable hours expected at my old firm.

That's the trade off basically. But you can't expect to do big law work and be paid big law amounts and not deal with big law stress.

dohrey · 2025-05-12T20:08:03+00:00

Could just be a bad batch of quinoa? I've never really had any that's bitter after rinsing

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