Paul A's picture of his packed lunch has inspired me to start this thread. What do you have in your packed lunch? If you prefer to dine in style, which pubs, RSPB cafes or takeaways do you recommend? Pictures would be good too.
I'll start with our normal:
Our best ever lunch (late) was in Sardinia. We'd just finished a 12 mile walk in 35 degree heat and had core temperatures rather hotter than the sun. We staggered onto the terrace of a sea-front cafe and ordered huge bowls of Italian ice-cream with half litre of Peroni chasers - wonderful :-)
Hi- a history of Birding lunches
Back in the 1970's it seemed to be a Tupperware box with egg sandwiches, a can of Lime and Lager (bleah!) and maybe crisps from a corner shop en route. As you got bigger a cardboard mass produced 'Cornish' - HAHA! pastie was added.
In the 1980's a family beef pie and a swiss roll seemed to be enough to keep us going- and the odd midnight stop at a Motorway service station for all night brekky. Evening meals were definitely 'something' and beans and chips.
In the 90's we were a bit more health conscious- raw milk and well cooked chicken was affordable . Pasta dishes were on offer at Birding island haunts.
In the new millennium we started getting a bit dude- we EVEN ate at the RSPB / Wildlife Trust eateries! ( in the 70's such places were just a covered set of tables that doubled as a place to spread sleeping bags for the night)
2010 onwards- Is it just the mortgage paid off or the better food at places like Titchwell that coaxes us to grab a hot bap mid morning? The occasional backpack is still seen being opened to disgorge a classic sandwich lunch on strategically placed benches at reserves.
:)
S
To be truly objective you will have to try all of them.
By the way, a Birding breakfast story-
1977- Pitch black august morning with pouring rain-
at 0530 in middle of Norfolk a teenager in Barbour dashes into corner shop and grabs pint of milk and a Mars bar- pays and dashes out.
2 mins later in dashes a different teen birder in Peter Storm waterproofs- grabs Mars bar and milk- pays and leaves.
5 mins later in comes another one- and then a fourth- but he didn't get any milk- according to the shop owner ( who never batted an eyelid ) we had cleaned him out of cow juice :)
Hello Stuart,
what an interesting thread! Food is always a good topic. In my Italian-classes we sooner or later always got to the food-theme, no matter what our conversation started with.
What I like best to take with me is
1. Bread with ham (Speck) or cheese
2. an apple
3. a very special nut-mix with small pieces of chocolate, chocolate-covered coffe-beans and cranberries(here in Germany I usually buy it at EDEKA, the chocolate is dark and tolerates higher temperatures very well)
4. a bottle of bubbling water ( I like it better than still water)
5. Bonbons ( something strong, for example peppermint, they can save lives)
6. Jelly Bears ( a family-tradition)
This thread is inspiring,I already got other ideas for future outings.
Good night now,
Bente
If I remember, I grab an apple and/or a satsuma. The chances are I'll forget to eat them anyway. At home I eat plenty, but when out birding I just don't think about food.
(Although on the traditional January 'big day' I used to do with a group of friends, a lunchtime visit to the Pilot inn at Dungeness for fish and chips was obligatory and much looked forward to.)
AAAHH the Pilot Inn- it was too expensive for us long staying- penny pinching - wet jean gorse floggers in the 70's- we walked across the shingle via ARC pit to the shop at Greatstone and got the small train back.
michael s said: Well how funny is that,I thought MrsTs packed lunch was exceptionally healthy,when I mentioned it to O H she thought it was rather a lot.Just shows how different people see same thing differently.
Well how funny is that,I thought MrsTs packed lunch was exceptionally healthy,when I mentioned it to O H she thought it was rather a lot.Just shows how different people see same thing differently.
seymouraves said: AAAHH the Pilot Inn- it was too expensive for us long staying- penny pinching - wet jean gorse floggers in the 70's- we walked across the shingle via ARC pit to the shop at Greatstone and got the small train back. :) S
I guess things were different in the 70s... but now the little train is £9.50 return from Dunge to Romney Sands (the first station down the line from Dunge) That's the same price as a medium cod and chips from the Pilot :)
MrsT,not meant as a criticism I assure you just thought it funny how the two of us see it differently.
Run out of marmalade Paddington?? Lol