Tommy Banks Takeaway…

So, after two years of scrupulous self protection (the full works – quarantining the post, masks, food deliveries, isolating from practically everyone) we’ve finally caught Covid. Now that we’re triple jabbed (horrible word…Ed) we’ve got a mild/medium cold – the jalfrezi version if you like – whereas before vaccinations (better…Ed) old fogies like us would be dead by now, probably. Our friend and neighbour, a consultant intensivist on the front line at a major trauma centre implored us to stay safe. Don’t get it, he said, it’s hell.

But now we have. First a faint pink second line on the test, followed by a bright, blood red one. There was no doubt. Still, it didn’t stop us walking around eight miles through the Yorkshire Dales – walk number 13 from Paul Hannon’s Wensleydale walk book. You might remember him from previous posts – his writing is tedious but his walks useful. ‘Bishopdale villages’, a gentle stroll through Thorlaby and West Burton, starting and finishing at the National Park car park at Aysgarth. Eight miles, with a sandwich and hot chocolate on a park bench in West Burton. Just as we’d finished a lovely lady with a clip board approached; just doing a village bench survey.

We probably did too much, even with Covid-lite, so it was just the right night to enjoy a Tommy Banks home delivery kit. Everything so beautifully prepared and packed, with exquisitely designed menu cards, plating hints and very precise cooking instructions. Simply delicious. Take a little care with the presentation, pour some nice wine – Tommy does matching wines in 2-glass cans – and dress up. You know you’re worth it.

Home delivery meal kits Tommy Banks

…incidentally, the menu features a rather nice custard tart with rhubarb gel to ‘dot’ on the top, and then cover with pickled rhubarb. Grown in Yorkshire of course, in the rhubarb triangle. It’s Wakefield’s rhubarb festival at the moment [really…!] – the first proper show of the season. And you can also book a tour of Yorkshire Rhubarb‘s forcing sheds…[really…!].