I need to tell you about mi mate Eddie; 'ees a fascinatin' character oo spends arf of 'is life travellin the quiet routes froo fraance gaverrin' awlsorta of vegetables that peeple leave lyin abawt awl ova the place.I first met Eddie in skool at Ashton in Makerfield grammar way back in the sixties.The long laastin' memory that I 'ave of 'im is at the refectory table at lunchtime. Becawse 'ee awlways wantid to get back to the playground foa a quick fag 'ee would awlways put his dessert in his blazer pocket, complete wiv custard an evrifin. I can fill in a little moa of his character as I offers moa of his personal reccipees ova the next few weeks.
Like I mentioned befoa he spends loads of time trvellin froo france in his little C15 along wiv his dog companion 'Ollie'. He takes 1000 euros that will laast him at least 8 monffs. He spends 50% on deisel, 25%on wine and 25% on dog food. Awl his food is liberated from the fields, skips at the back of supermarches oa dechetteries (foa you norvern 'erberts they are local french 'waste tips', which can be found in any provincial taan).
Becawse he finds loads of spuds that have been left behind arfta the machine has dug up what it can he has loads of ways of cookin' 'em. But, the best way is in the form of 'chips'. I first encountered this method when I visited 'im in the south of france. He had found a spot on the top of the derelict Roman road that tracts froo the Midi an eventually into southern Spain. Located on the the hill overlookin' the flood plane of the lower Rhone to the south to Arles, the Camargue and then the Med: a bootiful spot.
Arfta peelin' an choppin the spuds into finga sizes 'ee stores them in a laarge toffee jar filled wiv waatta; the chips stay fresh foa abawt 5 days (Moa like free in the boilin' sun of the Midi)
Usin' sunflower oil heated in a proppa chip pan the chips are dried and then dropped in. They are ready when they are golden brown an' can be squeezed between finga and fum. Piggin' them down as the sun fell behind the horizon wiv that wonderful view was unforgettable. Arfta the meel Eddie went foa a shit in woods takin' just his trusty damp sponge. Sweet.
There will be moa about Eddie in thte next few days, stay tuned.
