Canal de Burgundy

Leaving the delights of the Seine valley via Tonnere it is a gentle run down to the canal de Burgundy at Le Creusot and Montceau les Mines. During last years trip Eddie secreted a bicycle, that had been made up of at least 3 wrecks frown away by local people. I must explain at this stage that Eddie enjoys assembling bicycles, particularly if they have been basket cases. Raiding the decheterries he is awlways able to rescue sufficient parts to construct at least one acceptable machine. Once finished they usually find good homes, traded off for food, wine or sexual favours: he doesn't  mind either way. This present bike had been hidden down a well for the past 12 months; the reason being that he was on his way back to the northern coast and didn't really have any space in his rig. This would now be Ramunia's steed for the rest of her trip.
The canal at this point weaves gently froo the town of Montceau, originally a steel, mining and rail town all that is left is the canal plus the odd iron monuments reflecting it's industrial past. The water does make the town pretty. Spacious green areas now cover industrial wastelands, parks have sprung up where rolling stock sheds stood, rejuvenated suburbs spread where voluminous warehouses blocked out the light.

Tete de Veau. 
This a very local treet. Believe me it tastes like warmed up dog vomit: but each to their own. Every chef has his own special recipee. The basic ingredient is the peeled face from a smaal cow; cheeks, nose, ears an' anyfink else that can be justifyibly used. a combination of vegetables are added to make a sort of glutinous fick soop. 
Start wiv the usual onions, garlic an' seasoning. add some diced vege, carrots, potatoes, celery and later some beens and pees. Stir in the bits form the cows face; once sealed add arf a cup of risotto rice plus one pint of beef stock. Simma foa as long as you want, it won't matter becawse it will still taste like lumpy spew in wallpaper paste.
Of course Eddie doesn't make this; it is difficult to find a cows face at 'Leader Price' as they are awlways the first to be liberated by the locals. Eddie settles foa chips an' egg tonight and a distinct  lack of hole. 

Eddie arrives in Burgundy

Leaving Paris Eddie plans his route through rural fraance. The first stop is Bar sur Seine, the small medieval town that marks the start of the upper reaches of the Seine valley. The river meanders through this wonderfully picturesque wooded vale for approximately 50 klms to its source at Tonnere. Setting up camp on it's banks Eddie, Ramunia and Ollie begin the rirual of 'cleanup'. Eddie is fastidious regarding his immediate environment, in that he meticulously hoovers a 40 metre radius around his rig. This is his small contribution to a cleaner world. Bottles, cans, plastic bags and many other types of refuse are scooped up to be later dumped in the local decheterrie. This exercise is repeated at every stopping off point. Later in the day whilst walking Ollie he is determined to supplement his larder by searching out local produce. The flood plain of the river provides rich soil for an abundance of 'legumes'. Eddie has quickly gathered onions, more potatoes, cabbage, carrots, Swiss chard and luckily some early tomatoes. Awl of this stuff has been harvested from fallow land that had been 'gleaned' but modern methods using machines do not awlways strip the land totally.
Eddies next problem is protein, which is naturally requested by Ramunia. The solution is a trip to the convenient 'Leader Price' store who often oblige the local population by leaving at the close of trading, 'sell by date' produce by the front doors of the shop.Eddie fills his boots wiv minced beef, garlic sausage, mushrooms, celery, a variety of charcuterrie, pasta, milk and cereal. Job done Eddie returns wiv the swag to begin the evening meal of Spag Bol.

Eddies famous Spag.
Heat some oil in a sawsepan, add chopped onions, garlic and season wiv black peppa an' sawlt. Arfta the onions have sweatid daan add the chopped celery, carrots, mushrooms and finally the minched beef. Chop the fresh tomatoes then add to the mix along wiv pasatta, dijon mustard, Worcester sawse, a pinch of chilli, basil and a fresh laurel leaf. Finally add one cup of waatta, one cup of beef stock an one cup of red wine. Let the whole lot simma foa at least 45 minits. If you don't have fresh pasta it is betta to use the longer cookin' stuff ratha than that 'quick shite' that they awlways try to sell.
As the sun goes down ova the Seine Eddie serves up: I expect there might be a little hole tonight. What do you fink? 


Don't forget to look at my other blog at www.nigeljosephparr@blogspot.com  it's awl about the buildin' of a unique vehicle!!!

Champs Elysee

So, Eddie parks his rig in the Tuilerie gardins in Paris wiv a view to showin' Ramunia the sites of this wonderful city.He has the perfect vehicle for this trip: an ex post office red and cream bicycle complete wiv a laarge plastic tray attached to the handle bars where Ollie usually sits to protect her from the traffic. Ramunia has pride of place on the seat of the bike whilst Eddie stands erect on the pedals as they navigate, at midday, the Champs Elysee, the Arch de Triomph and the magnificent Tour Eiffel. Eddie was quite amazed when he was stopped continuously by tourists demanding a photograph: I must say I was also surprised at their apparent interest. Arfta the trip he returned to his rig to create annuva signature dish.


Moules et Frites. 


Start makin' the chips in exactly the same way as I have explained befoa, then, sweat the onions an' garlic in a laarge sawsepan. Make sure that Ramunia has de-bearded the mussels an' scrubbed them clean. Don't forget to frow away the arf open ones. Add them to the pot wiv arf a pint of white wine an' arf a cup of waatta. When they open add some light cream an serve, any way you want. Eddie leaves them in the pan to save on washin' up. Place the chips on a plate along wiv some dippin' bread; usin an empty shell as a fork consume the mussels an' sawse under the dappled light of the tree canopy in the peace of the Tuilerie gardins.


Next time, Eddie begins his journey south leaving the capital behind to discover the valley of the Seine. This has got to be the 'dogs'.

Eddies Trailer

Eddie was expectin' his bird 'Ramunia' his Latvian girlfriend to join him in Paris around mid July. She awlways limited his access to sex; he had to earn it, as well as being rationed to no more than once a week. As a consequence of this she demanded separate sleeping quarters. Wiv this in mind Eddie needed to construct some kind of towing caravan to accommodate her needs. subsequently he came across an abandoned trailer chassis in Langate which he strapped to the roof of his C15.
He managed to transport the chassis over the channel where he intended to fabricate the bedroom cabin to fix on top of the chassis. His bountiful knowledge of the 'world of decheterries' enabled him to rescue enough sheets of aluminium panels with which he would construct the carcass of the bedroom. Using only hand tools; a drill, hack saw and a variety of nuts and bolts the cabin quickly took shape. It had a lift up door, a small window  along with 2 vented hatches. Internally, there was a mattress,roughly assembled cupboard space, ceiling cavities, a small vanity area complete with cracked mirror, and very importantly a mosquito net. Other personal touches could be added later as their tour of fraance developed. The bedroom had been completed upon her arrival at Charles de Gaulle airport where she was met by Eddie who wiv Ollie escorted her to the Tuilleries gardens where they would spend the night. He didn't tell mi if 'ee managed a shag that night but I expect he did, first nights on holiday in my finkin', are awlways celebrated carnally.

Eddies Potage au Feu 


Havin' gathered a selection of vegetables from the gardins of norvern fraance peel an' chop. In a laarge sawsepan add some olive oil then season wiv black peppa an sawlt. Gently fry the onions, then add, carrots, celery, potato, suede, really anyfink that you can find. Bring to the boil wiv fresh stock, then simma. Serve wiv crusty bread an' top wiv gratid hard cheese that some frog has frown away.

Eddies Rig

I must describe Eddie's rig. It is a basic deisel engined Citroen C15 which has been converted to satisfy most of his needs. The passenger seat has been removed to accommodate his bed; but that's just the beginning. All of the rear panels have maximised, compartmentalised, carefully constructed to contain food supplies, kitchen goodies, utensils, fasteners, ropes, tape, mug, plate, knife, fork, spoon, can opener. His two burner stove is concealed under the carcass of the bed: he has both gas facilities, propane for normal temperatures and butane for altitude and cold. Probably most fick norvern 'erberts won't know that propane at extreme temperatures doesn't  give off, any heat whereas butane does: lesson learned.
He has one small toolbax wiv one of evrifink inside. He constructed his bedroom trailor from scrap aluminium, hand drilling and bolting together, which he built in fraance, after many visits to the abundant decheterries. I shall endeavour to describe this engineering miracle a little later becawse it awlso involves a woman, another driving force in Eddie's physcee.
Time foa one of Eddies signature dishes.


Mediterranean Pizza 


Usin' a liberated pizza base from the back of Carrefour start layerin' the top wiv anyfink else that has been robbed from a skip. Here is the trick. Not 'avin' an oven Eddie then places the pizza in his frying pan sealing it wiv a lid. Then it is furvva seeled wiv a small rock on top. On a low heat the pizza will cook. It looks like shit when it comes out but if you close your eyes you can't the difference between Eddies and the real thing. Try it, you won't be disappointed.

Eddie's Chips

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.

Noo Research

Sorry, I ain't been postin' anyfink lately becawse I 'ave been researchin' mi noo book. It will be ready in a few weeks so keep an eye out for mi noo blog: it's goin' to ground brakin', honest. Keep on cookin', Nick