Scotland – Get it up ye! – A Love Letter

I was sitting drinking a can of Irn Bru and it struck me that Scotland is a truly bizarre place. Don’t get me wrong I love it dearly and wouldn’t change a thing but there are some fantastically odd things that seem to just happen there and nowhere else. So for your delectation and delight a run down on what is great about the world’s most eccentric country.

• Deep fried food – It’s true your average Scottish punter will deep fry anything. If it’s not nailed down it’s fair game. Traditionally fish, sausage, haggis or more obscurely pizza, Mars bars, ice cream. I have even seen Cadbury’s Cream Eggs deep fried at Easter. I can feel my arteries hardening from here. Arrgh I hear you cry that sounds terrible. Wrong…this is proof positive of some higher power in the universe. These tasty deep fried treats exist to soak up alcohol like it is going out of fashion. They can extend a drinking session by hours, in some cases days.

• Men in skirts – The Scotsman has always been stereotypically portrayed as a hard man. Is this something to do with a national costume that is guaranteed to illicit sniggers? Honestly though as it goes wearing a kilt is a pretty cool experience ( I mean that literally and metaphorically). I wore a kilt when I got married and wouldn’t have done it any other way.

• Haggis – Made from God knows what (adhering to a strict don’t ask, don’t tell policy) the mighty Haggis is Scotland’s national dish. The great thing about it is that you can try it all over the country and you will get slight variations every single time. When a Haggis is served it does like like the culinary equivalent of a dare but I advise you to give it a go. You will be pleasantly surprised and remember some poor bastard was up at the crack of dawn catching it for you!

I could wax lyrical about so much more that is Scotland. The historic landmarks, the stunning natural beauty, the culture and history but when it all comes down to its all about my list above. Foods based on a dare and men in skirts! I demand you all go there now and check it out.

Later people of the world

Cheesecake out.

One Relish to rule them all

As frequent readers of my blog are no doubt aware I like to push the boundaries when it comes to exploring the human condition. One of the most commonly used ways to do this is a quest of some sort. My personal quest is to create the perfect sandwich. Previous attempts to achieve this perfection can be accessed below.

There’s been a burger

The fishy finger of fate…

… a perfect sandwich

Recently a have made some startling progress. I have discovered an ingredient which works on any savoury sandwich. That’s right anyone. A bold claim I’ll grant you but it doesn’t stop it from being true. Ladies and Gentlemen I give you ……….Branston Gherkin Relish

There aren’t words in the English language to describe how good this stuff is. Do yourself a favour buy some immediately! Based on the fact I crave it daily I can only assume that the flavour boffins at Branston have managed to meld crack and gherkins into a tasty sauce.

Other than my never ending sandwich saga I have managed to see a few movies recently. Behold my micro-reviews!

The Good – Better of Dead – He’s ski with only one ski!

The Bad – Twilight – Why is Cederic Diggory fuckin twinkling?

and the downright bizarre – The Spirit – Ok I can’t even begin to understand what the fuck is occurring here???

Later blogsphere

ta ta

Mr Cheesecake

On the Road - Day 5, 6 and 7

We moved on to Penzance and after taking a quick wonder round the town we moved on to St Michael's Mount. The weather was again was great and we spent our afternoon wondering around the castle, gardens and enjoying a Cornish cream tea al-fresco.


By day 6 Mrs Cheesecake and I were starting to feel strain of our constant traveling so decided to stay in Flamouth for the day. We shopped extensively and Mrs Cheesecake picked up some bargain Doc Martens! Lilac patent boots! She even managed to blag a child size as she has tiny feet. We also popped to the local cinema and caught Transformers 2.

Our final day saw us visit the very southern tip of Great Britain. I looked forward to seeing Land's End and I wasnt disappointed. There was even a Doctor Who exhibition.


This little holiday has proven to me what I already suspected. The UK has some fantastic places to see and it is wholly worthwile seeking them out.

Later peeps

On the Road - Day 3 & 4

As I mentioned in my last post we had decided that we would check St Ives on the 3rd day in Cornwall. We arrived earlier and wondered about looking in all the shops. There were a number of pasty shops so around lunchtime I sampled the delights of cheese and bacon in a pasty format. I reckon that by the end of the week my waistline will have reached some kind of critical mass.

After pasty nirvana we headed to the beach. I have to say that the beach at St Ives is pretty spectacular. The sand is very fine. The water a lovely blue. So much so that I ended going swimming and burning my feet really badly laying about in the sand.

Day four started with trip on a speedboat which was exceptionally cool.


We were hoping to see some local wildlife but all was quiet. The journey was great though.
After the excitement we moved on to Pendennis Castle. This fantastic location offered fantastic views of Falmouth and the rest of the coast.


Tomorrow Penzance !

On The Road – Days 1 and 2

As promised to all those back in the office. I told you I would blog. Please sit back and enjoy my insights into Cornwall and all the joys there are to behold.

Falmouth a very large natural harbour and very busy by modern standards. It splits quite nicely between the industrial and the traditional.

When we arrived on Saturday lunchtime Mrs Cheesecake and I had the opportunity to explore the old streets and discovered quickly that almost every potential cuisine is available. My quest for the perfect Cornish Pasty had begun!

Day Two saw our first proper expedition. We hit the road after a hearty full English and headed for surfer’s paradise, Newquay. Again the weather has been good and I fear I may burn. I had the opportunity to have my first pasty for lunch today. Steak and Stilton. A winner! I have heard a rumour that there is a pasty shop in St Ives where you can buy a pasty that can be worn like a hat. Can you guess where I am going tomorrow.

We checked out the beach which has a crazy Bond style house sitting on top of a cliff that can only be accessed via suspension bridge. I even had the chance to for a bit of a paddle. Water as expected feckin freezing.

We also headed to the Blue Reef Aquarium and got the see all the cool fishes and some really fuckin fuggly ones too.

As an aside on our way between Falmouth and Newquay Mrs Cheesecake and I found the following. It was so funny we had to stop the car on the way back so we could take a picture.. Never let it be said that I ain’t highbrow.

Who knows what tomorrows voyage of discovery will bring. Come back soon to find out.

Laters

Countdown to The Great Escape

In a break from the norm Mrs Cheesecake and I haven't gone to the cinema today. It's ok, before you ask, we aren't sick. Preparations are currently under way for our road trip. It's been about four years since we have been on a break that hasn't been visiting either of our respective families. I plan to blog a bit while we are away so I'm not going to talk to much about our destination yet.

One of the things we are planning to do is a boat trip so it makes sense that we prepare for this. Turns out it is almost impossible to find an appropriate waterproof jacket that does cost loads of cash. Step forward e-Bay and your much cheapness. After trooping all over town we ended up coming home and purchasing over the web. Town wasn't an entrie washout however. I did manage to end up with three new t-shirts and a new shirt and Mrs Cheesecake purchased a rather spiffing skirt. Take it from me loyal reader trying to get Mrs Cheesecake to buy something for herself is no easy task so I consider this a moral victory.

In other news, I managed to pick up a copy of the Windows 7 release candidate and have installed it on it's own little partition so I can test it out later today. I had a sneaky look last night and I have to say what I have seen so far looks pretty good. Certainly a bit less clunky than Vista.

I feel a mini rant brewing. I'm kinda annoyed at my family. Not Mrs Cheesecake, I mean my family back in the old country. I made a point of e-mailing then and sending text messages and they never get in touch. I have a laptop with a webcam and a Skype account and I never get a video chat. Damn that's pisses me off. Here is an example. Do you know how many times my father has visited me since I moved house four years ago? None. Not once. That is just poor. Don't get me wrong if I meet him in the street tomorrow he would be overjoyed to see me but he memory of a goldfish and forgets that we haven't spoken for ages.

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Now playing: Bare Naked Ladies - Big Bang Theory
via FoxyTunes

Cheesecake Salvation

Cover of Clash of the Titans

The weather today was truly fucking atrocious. At one point Mrs Cheesecake and I were in the car and we could hardly see where we were going. Fortunately we go to the flicks so often the car can almost drive itself there. We did get pretty wet and now I'm sniffly but these are the lengths that Team Cheesecake will go to to ensure the films you want to see continue to get watched. I like to think we are providing a public service.

Terminator Salvation is pretty good. Christian Bale is acceptable as John Connor. Anton Yelchin makes for a convincing Kyle Reese and I think Sam Worthington is a name to watch. Role on the Clash of the Titans remake. As frequent readers know (I'm know your out there) I don't like to delve into plots to much. No spoilers round here Mrs! There are a couple of nice nods to previous Terminator movies. The Govenator does make a guest appearance and I reckon there is a good chance it this makes enough money we will see more of the same.

I've heard people say that the films not up to much. McG is not really a massively respected director is he? Probably something to do with dicking around with only one name like Bono or Sting. In saying that I've seen worse. The sound in particular was quite something. At one point my whole body was vibrating due to the amount of bass used.

In other news I heard a rumor the other day that Brian Blessed is potentially going to be in the big screen version of Thor. Specifically playing Odin. I for one think this would be just about fucking perfect. Seriously can you imagine him bellowing "THOR'S ALIVE!!!". Flash Gordon is one of my favorite movies of all time and a lot of that has to do with his work as Prince Vultan.

Well it looks about time for some dinner. I see pizza on the horizon shortly.

Till next time. Dont play with it, it will drop off.

Cheesecake out