Surprising food

[Summergee]

We were on the QE2 a couple of years ago and are booked on the QM2 for next summer.

 

Although the vast majority of the food was excellent, we were suprised at one item on the menu (we were QG then and will be PG next time).

 

We had just left Portugal and "sardines in tomato sauce" was on the menu. This seemed an odd description so I asked if they were tinned or fresh. Our waiter went away to check and came back to tell us that they were tinned! Needless to say I chose something different that sounded as if a little more effort had gone into the preparation.

 

Has anyone had somethimg like this happen on QM2, or can I look forward to freshly prepared, fresh food?

[Guest Anorak33]

Our excellent waiter who had completed 19 years in PG recently on QE2 recommended we did NOT order the scrambled eggs.

Just like on Princess or wherever these days they are made from goo in a plastic bag.

Sardines with tomato sauce from a can though, sound delicious, bring back fond memories of childhood teas.

For sardines to be fresh they have to be caught very very recently or they go all soggy and limp.

Not something you can have on a ship, unless you are on a fishing boat of course.

[Jimsgirl]

Personally I love those tinned sardine in Tomatoe sauce, but I do not think you will find them on Cunard.

 

Thouhg I did find "Black Pudding " for breakfast on the QE2 about two years ago.

[Cruachan]

Thouhg I did find "Black Pudding " for breakfast on the QE2 about two years ago.

 

Glad there's someone else around here who likes my favourite breakfast food. Managed to have BP every breakfast for 14 days on QE2 last year.

 

Jimmy

[The Real PM]

What is black pudding, may I ask?

[Summergee]

Black pudding is a type of sausage which is made from pigs blood, and according to where it is made, either pigs fat or barley. It is usually served sliced and fried.

[The Real PM]

Black pudding is a type of sausage which is made from pigs blood, and according to where it is made, either pigs fat or barley. It is usually served sliced and fried.

 

It sounds terrible, but how about the taste. Tripe sounds awful, too, but I like that. Is black pudding the Scottish dish that people are always talking about?

[NomDePlume]

You must be thinking of haggis...

Black pudding is delicious, and not just for breakfast. I sometime find it at Whole Foods--frozen section--usually in a "slimmer" size casing than in England, more the size of bratwurst or Italian sausage. I like it cold as well, with a drink, or hot and served with apple sauce and real, skinless, mashed potatoes for dinner...

[bandr]

You must be thinking of haggis...

 

Black pudding is delicious, and not just for breakfast. I sometime find it at Whole Foods--frozen section--usually in a "slimmer" size casing than in England, more the size of bratwurst or Italian sausage. I like it cold as well, with a drink, or hot and served with apple sauce and real, skinless, mashed potatoes for dinner...

 

I think the nicest way I ever had this served was in a pub in Wales where it was served fried or possible grilled, with a creamed green peppercorn sauce poured over, lovely wasn't it?

[NomDePlume]

Just dreamy...

[The Real PM]

Just dreamy...

 

I'm not quite sure about the Black Pudding with green sauce!

 

I would like to compliment you, Nom, on your wonderful intuition, judgement or whatever it was that gave you the ability to see through those perpetrators so quickly, yesterday and today. You were amazing. Thank you!:)

[NomDePlume]

Thank you, my dear PM--but all you have to do is read what they post on other boards/threads!

Now, how about trying that black pudding???

[The Real PM]

Next time I see it, I will. And I guess I should begin to read posters on other boards--I've learned a lot in the last couple of days and I would bet there is much more to come.:)

 

Gail

[WanderingBrit]

Black pudding is wonderful stuff, with a surprising flavour. You'll frequently find that it has a touch of allspice or perhaps a nutmeg aspect to the taste.

 

The butcher downstairs from our place in Scotland makes a sausage/black pudding loaf that they sell by the slice. It's black pudding without casing surrounded by pork sausage formed in a loaf ting, then sliced. One fries it for breakfast, delicious.

 

Haggis is a simply splendid dish absolutely not deserving to be the butt of so many jokes. Time and again travel reporters have raved about it once they get over the mental block of what they think goes into it. Rich, earthy, meaty, filling and incredibly satisfying it's something we look forward to every time we're in Scotland.

 

There was no black pudding on offer for our recent QE2 cruise, but I had excellent Finnan Haddie poached in milk and some simply wonderful kippers.

 

Kevin

[billet]

This was my light breakfast on the QM2 in July. The black pudding is the black stuff!

 

[thehighseas]

Dear Billet

 

I hope you paid a visit to the gym later that day! :D

[Ken_W]

It sounds terrible, but how about the taste. Tripe sounds awful, too...

 

I too always thought tripe sounded awful, until I had the Philadelphia Pepper Pot Soup in the QG. It wasn't until I got home and looked up some basic recipes that I found out I was being enthusiastic about tripe!

 

Which only goes to show that your preconceived notions of what tastes good and what doesn't has more to do with where and how you were raised, and not what you have really tried. I have a new rule, to try everything as least once, regardless of any preconceved notions about what "good" food is supposed to be!

[The Real PM]

It sounds terrible, but how about the taste. Tripe sounds awful, too...

 

I too always thought tripe sounded awful, until I had the Philadelphia Pepper Pot Soup in the QG. It wasn't until I got home and looked up some basic recipes that I found out I was being enthusiastic about tripe!

 

Which only goes to show that your preconceived notions of what tastes good and what doesn't has more to do with where and how you were raised, and not what you have really tried. I have a new rule, to try everything as least once, regardless of any preconceved notions about what "good" food is supposed to be!

 

I never had it in a Pepper Pot Soup, but my mother used to dip in egg and dredge it in flour and fry it. It was always delicious.

[happyscot]

It sounds terrible, but how about the taste. Tripe sounds awful, too, but I like that. Is black pudding the Scottish dish that people are always talking about?

 

 

No, that's Euan MacGregor.

[Coconut Sea]

We just returned from the QE2 and an incredible visit to London... while there, we had Black Pudding for the first time. For whatever it's worth, while indeed it is sausage, to this first timer, it tasted more like it had a very high content of bread crumbs... almost like a cross between a dense bread (like a non-sweet pound cake) and sausage. Tasty, but not quite what I was expecting (from reading previous descriptions, I was expecting something similar to sausage that we have in the US). When I first had it, I thought, hmmm... maybe this is just really poor black pudding and it's been made with lots of filler. But every time we had it (from pubs to gourmet restaurants), it was the same way. It's rather dry (compared to what I was expecting, which was a more juicy sausage sort of thing).

 

That's my two cents... :)

[sw18]

No, that's Euan MacGregor.

 

 

:confused: :confused: :confused: Why have something tasteless & insipid when you can have David Tennant?:confused: :confused: :confused:

[The Real PM]

This was my light breakfast on the QM2 in July. The black pudding is the black stuff!

 

 

I hate to say what it looks like. Was it really good? Did you get in the diningroom or King's Court?

[Guest Anorak33]

This was my light breakfast on the QM2 in July. The black pudding is the black stuff!

 

 

From the presentation on the plate and lack of tablecloth on the table I hope this was the buffet?

[Guest Anorak33]

We just returned from the QE2 and an incredible visit to London... while there, we had Black Pudding for the first time. For whatever it's worth, while indeed it is sausage, to this first timer, it tasted more like it had a very high content of bread crumbs... almost like a cross between a dense bread (like a non-sweet pound cake) and sausage. Tasty, but not quite what I was expecting (from reading previous descriptions, I was expecting something similar to sausage that we have in the US). When I first had it, I thought, hmmm... maybe this is just really poor black pudding and it's been made with lots of filler. But every time we had it (from pubs to gourmet restaurants), it was the same way. It's rather dry (compared to what I was expecting, which was a more juicy sausage sort of thing).

 

That's my two cents... :)

 

I do not want to be nationalistic about this but you need to try Irish black pudding.

A wonderful and totally different product in taste and texture whilst still looking much the same externally to the uninitiated.

 

I am afraid that IMHO the Brits have lost the plot when it comes to black pudding, in much the same way I am afraid Brits think the Americans have lost their way with bacon.

 

I have not had success finding Irish BP in England, it probably does exist somewhere, there is also an excellent White Pudding available in Ireland.

 

First thing I do when I go home to Ireland is to get my cholesterol levels seriously up with a good fryup.

 

And the last thing I do when I leave Ireland is go to the store for a couple of weeks supply of BP and WP to take back to UK.

[RAL72]

Our excellent waiter who had completed 19 years in PG recently on QE2 recommended we did NOT order the scrambled eggs.

Just like on Princess or wherever these days they are made from goo in a plastic bag.

I had scrambled eggs in PG on QE2 2 weeks ago and, like everything else I had for 10 days there, they were delicious!