Boxing Day here in Sheffield. It was dry, quite mild and quite sunny so in the early afternoon we set off down to our local park with Frances, Stew, Phoebe and Margot. It is called Endcliffe Park and it's much loved by residents of the S11 postal district.
There were plenty of people around - at the cafe, by the duck ponds and in the children's play area. I guess they had all had the same idea - to get outside while they could after the excesses of Christmas Day feasting.
Phoebe is now a connoisseur of children's play areas and enjoyed this visit as much as all the previous ones even though she has recently been a bit under the weather.
Walking back past the cafe, we bumped into John and Irene - two friends from way back. They were sitting at one of the outdoor tables cradling hot coffees. I have known John since 1978 - over 45 years. It was I believe in that very year that I rode on the back of his motorbike all the way down to Earl's Court in London to watch Bob Dylan in concert.
Whenever I meet him and his wife Irene who I have known for over 40 years, we natter away like there's no tomorrow - as if the conversation had just been paused. Before parting our ways again, John said he was going home to make "bubble and squeak" from yesterday's leftovers and admitted that he usually enjoyed the Boxing Day dinner more than the Christmas Day feast. I laughed because I was going back to Frances and Stew's house to do just the same.
If you don't know what "bubble and squeak" is, I will tell you... Put all of the uneaten Christmas Day vegetables in a large bowl and mash up. Ideally there will be some mashed potato there. Roasted potatoes, parsnips, carrots etc may require some extra chopping with a knife or crinkle cutter.
Then put all the mixture into a baking dish and flatten down. A couple of knobs of butter on top and perhaps seal the dish with kitchen foil for half the oven time. Bake for approximately 45 minutes at 200C - depending of course on the volume of your leftovers.
We ate ours with cold turkey, gravy from Christmas Day, leftover stuffing and garden peas. Waste not, want not as they say - but very tasty too.
Leftovers are always a treat. We gathered today for our celebration (minus the oldest grandchild) and I reminded them all that it was Boxing Day. I got some blank stares at that.
ReplyDeletePerhaps they thought you were planning a family boxing tournament with boxing gloves and a ring etc..
DeleteI hear ya when it comes to boxing day food. I had never heard of bubble and squeak before but similar attempts to use up left overs are done here.
ReplyDeleteI am surprised that Jean didn't educate you about bubble & squeak.
DeleteSounds like a lovely day. I walked the dogs at the dog park. A beautiful, sunny day. Stew for supper which will be eaten again tomorrow night, as I work late shift tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteIt's good to think ahead re. meal preparation.
DeleteWe Canadians enjoy Boxing Day too, complete with leftovers. I am not familiar with bubble & squeak but it sounds fantastic.
ReplyDeleteYou may have been making bubble & squeak all along but never knew it!
DeleteI'd like to wander in that park and have lunch at that cafe, it looks so peaceful.
ReplyDeleteBubble and squeak in my house had an egg or two mixed into the vegetables and the whole lot fried up in the biggest frypan in mum's kitchen, served with tomato sauce drizzled over it.
Boxing day here was quiet, but in the city it was bumper-to-bumper cars and wall-to-wall people! I saw it on the news and was so glad I'd stayed home.
I would like to accompany you in the park Elsie and I would buy you a coffee at the cafe in spite of their prices!
DeleteI had bubble and squeak to acccompany cold turkey yesterday but my recipe differs slightly from yours in that I don't mash it up I just cut vegetables and potatoes into large chunks and pan saute them.
ReplyDeleteMy friend John was going to do a similar version when he got home.
DeleteWe have a large park called Centre Park, which became a public park in the early 20th century. They are going to renovate the bandstand with the new money coming into the town. Parks are very much a traditional heritage of public land for the amusement of the public.
ReplyDeleteEndciffe Park really is like a green lung in this part of Sheffield.
DeleteLeftovers - who doesn‘t love them!
ReplyDeleteYou had great weather, and people clearly made the most of it.
It‘s always good to bump into old friends and especially if they are the kind where it does not matter how long you have not met, the connection is back instantly.
It's always a good idea to prepare more vegetables than you need for Christmas Day. It is so easy to converse with certain people but more of a challenge with others.
DeleteGoing to our daughters on Christmas day is always wonderful, their children, 6,4,and 2 are a perfect age, but sadly no leftovers here, no cold turkey sandwiches, I feel I'm missing out.
ReplyDeleteNo leftovers at our house. Dogs and cats get any meat and pigs and poultry get the vegetables. We never have turkey hanging about for days. Lidl were selling off a joint of beef for 8 Euros. Very nice indeed.
ReplyDeleteWill Grampa become a connoisseur of parks to take the little ones to?
ReplyDeleteYou forgot the brussels sprouts and/or cabbage. A true bubble and squeak should be fried (preferably in dripping) and the whole mess bubbles and squeaks. Oh the memories.
ReplyDeleteI always thought "bubble and squeak" was some kind of breakfast egg dish.
ReplyDeleteMy parents lived in England, in Burderop park, for a time before and after they married and often talked about "bubble and squeak" but never made it ... not that I remember.
What a picturesque cafe!
ReplyDeleteI've always wondered what Bubble and Squeak was all about. Now I know. Here's another British vs American language bit- you say "knob" of butter. We say "pat" of butter. I assume they're about the same.
Great picture from that Dylan concert. Loved seeing members of the Hawks as his back-up band. That's for sure Robbie Robertson on guitar. Probably Levon Helms on drums and Garth Hudson on organ. They eventually became The Band, one of the most incredible bands ever to be on this side of the Atlantic. Or anywhere, really.
That Bob Dylan photo is priceless. Bubble and squeak sounds quite good.
ReplyDeleteWe are enjoying our leftover ham, mashed potatoes and green beans but we don't mush everything up, we just microwave a plate of our choices. Today I will dice up the leftover ham and freeze it for future casseroles, omelets, and split pea soup.
ReplyDeleteOld friends that you can reconnect with in an instant are the best to bump into!
I can't imagine riding a motorbike from Sheffield all the way to London. That sounds exhausting, even for Dylan! I've never made bubble & squeak but I have heard of it. I always thought it was mainly potatoes and cabbage...? In any event, sounds like a nice Boxing Day. I love Boxing Day, giving everyone a chance to recover from the Christmas excitement!
ReplyDeleteAs you can see, the commenting problem is solved. It takes a young mind like Toms to deal with these things, he spotted the problem straight away. As for Bubble and Squeak, I love it. Your friend was correct in saying that Boxing day dinner is better than the Christmas one. Happy New Year to you and your family. Briony
ReplyDeletex
Encliffe park my fav one of the city
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure about that bubble and squeak but English cooking has always been an anomaly. I do envy you seeing Dylan in '78. I might even have been able to understand him back then. I must tell you that you were on my mind today as I was in a Walmart store and ran across a display of New Years' crackers, or poppers. I thought of taking a photo and sending it to you but the security guard was already eyeing me suspiciously as I fondled some of them.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I thought "bubble and squeak" involved scrambled eggs.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty tired of leftover ham. The plan is to make ham and vegetable soup tomorrow, and to put the rest of the leftover ham in the freezer for another day. I can never find one small enough for two people.