Another Flat White Please

We are Costa fans and have a coffee there almost every day.  We have ONE favourite Costa outlet and that is our local one in Chichester. 

Why is it our favourite?  Because the staff are polite, friendly and take the time to remember who you are.

Not only that, they also are keen to make a great cup of coffee and as far as I am concerned make a “benchmark” Flat White. 

Now we also have to recognise that a Costa branch in Brighton, perhaps not as friendly as Chichester but certainly as efficient, is also very good in terms of their Flat White’s.

Without doubt whilst we have sampled Costa coffees in Salisbury, Guildford, Portsmouth and Southampton I have to say that the Southampton branches are far and away the very worst coffee drinking experience in terms of our Flat White’s.  We have tried four out of the five outlets we know of in Southampton and not one has been able to produce a really good drink.  The staff are polite but that is as about as far as it goes as I don’t think they have a passion for coffee making.

Our last Flat White experience in Southampton was so bad I was compelled to be honest with the poor unfortunate barista who had made the drinks.  Who, despite my declaration that “this coffee is not very good looking” to “frankly,  this coffee is not at all good” and “can I have the milk topped up please” – was met with a somewhat odd, bemused or uncomprehending grin from the unfortunate barista on the receiving end of my rather restrained tongue lashing.

All in all the drink was not made with any degree of care.  The milk slopped in and the finish (normally a sort of tulip shape) was just not present!

So sorry Southampton, outside Waterstone’s the one inside Waterstone’s plus the one at the top of the West Quay Mall, you have failed us in our search for a really good Flat White!

Chichester however scores a resounding 10/10 if you combine the welcome, the service and the coffee.

Is it summer?

After several days of clearing the garden shed, cleaning out the garage of empty packing cases left over from our return from Ibiza, planting a new shrub in the garden, feeding the lawn and finally buying some plants for the front of the house. What can it all mean?  I suppose that now I have started wearing shorts and layering on factor 50 to my head, I have to conclude,  it must be summer. 

The clincher must be cutting the grass every week which is now becoming lush and green and the fact that I seem to be thinking plants all the time.

As it’s summer, we have had a short break in Brighton with the obligatory meal at Indian Summer “the only Indian restaurant in Brighton”  We had lunch a few weeks ago at Chilli Pickle in Brighton another fine eatery which I cannot recommend highly enough.  We stayed at “One Broad Street” in the care of the ever humorous, helpful and Queen of Granola making, Ramola!! (and Mary who we have never met).  This is a fantastic little place just far enough away from the busy centre of Brighton and near enough to the sea to be perfect.  The rooms are bright and clean and full of little quirks that reflect the personalities of the owners of this B&B.  We love it there and plan a return visit in the not to distant future.

There was another “first” this visit to Brighton with a visit to the Brighton Pavilion and the current exhibition about the many hundreds of Indian Soldiers who  were treated there during the First World War when the Pavilion was used as a hospital.   I was a little disappointed by the rather small nature of the exhibition but it did have some excellent photographs and a short film showing King George V during a visit to the hospital and presenting a Victoria Cross to an Indian Army Officer, Jemadar (Lieutenant) Mir Dast of the 55th Coke's Rifles ( Frontier Force ).  He insisted on standing to attention to receive his medal despite being very weak after having been gassed.  Much of scene at the hospital was so similar to scenes today of our wounded soldiers recovering and rehabilitating at another “Brighton Pavilion”, Headly Court today.  History does have a habit of repeating itself doesn't it?  We still need the same “Help for Heroes” today!!

A “Flat White” please!

All I have to say about this arrival in UK coffee shops from Australia / New Zealand is that we are hooked.  Val and I were both hardened Latte [extra hot] and Americano [with hot milk] until this coffee masterpiece arrived.  We are now both hooked on this creamy “coffee beverage prepared by pouring steamed milk from the bottom of steaming pitcher over a single shot (30ml) or double shot (60ml) of espresso” – yes, it’s a winner.  There is however a very big “but” to warn those of you who may wish to try one of these drinks out.

1.  The barista must take time to make the drink.  You don’t want it to be rushed as to do so ruins the effect.

2. It has to be hot!

3. Don’t let the surly barista with the indeterminate non-British dialect slop the coffee all over the saucer and then all but throw its replacement at you when it arrives back at your table.

4. Make sure you praise the barista who makes you a good one and tells you which is the better of the two [if you order two that is]

Recently we visited two Costa Coffee outlets in Southampton and suffered a Flat white as I have described in points 1 & 3 and in an outlet in Waitrose in Chichester also had a bit of a “devil may care” prepared flat white that left much to be desired and me with 1000 extra loyalty points on my Costa card by way of compensation! I just love Whitbread now and not just for its beer either!

By far the best flat whites we ever had were from a Costa in Brighton which in fairness we have to say that our local Chichester branch is very close indeed. 

I commend this little gem of a coffee to those of you who may prefer a novel beverage and yet not lose the taste of a espresso!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_white

What a week lies ahead!

It's the Party Conference Season here in this Great United Kingdom with the ruling Labour Party having had theirs at the end of September in Brighton, the Liberal Democratic Party in Bournemouth also in September and now it's the turn of the Conservatives in Manchester this week. The radio and TV waves have been awash with "promises" and "commitments" as well as many shouts of criticism against the opposition of all colours and flavours. From my point of view I have dismissed much of what I have heard as either lies or impossibilities on a grand scale and in one case easy to say given the particular party that announced it as they will never have to face up to the reality of implementation! It seems fairly clear that until now the Tories seem set to win the next general election but today that announced a plan to increase the retirement age for men from 65 to 66 (actually advancing a plan already announced by the present Government for implementation in 2026) from 2016. Well, this scared me when I first heard the headline as I thought that it may have been immediate and thus foiled me out of my pension in 2011.... sigh of relief then! Additionally the retirement age of women is also going to be equalised to that of men so many women who had already been foiled out of retiring at 60 and now having to retire at 63 now face the prospect of having to retire at 66 also... but we don't know just when yet.

Well, there has been the usual flood of "I'm not voting for you now" shouts from those who can't seem to fathom that nothing comes free and that somewhere along the line things like Pensions, Defence and that other bottomless pit, the NHS have to be paid for by everyone and not just the rich. In fact it seems that many of these protesters feel that the cash should come from someone else's taxation (the rich or Big Business) or from more and more borrowing. The TUC are all for "spending our way out of recession" but I am not sure how that works!

I hear the voices now, "if they added a penny to tax" ........ that would have to be a lot of pennies is all I can say and not just ONE per tax payer either.

My savings would be through cutting out some of these things in Government at ALL levels

• Widespread translation services in official building and documents
• The Annual Heating Allowance (make it a means tested allowance)
• Political Tzars!
  
• As many of the Quangos as possible (too many to mention)
• The many thousands of civil servants and local government people employed on "politically correct" projects
  
• A clamp down on ALL benefits fraud with meaningful sentences by Courts and a recovery of the cash that has been stolen
  
• Reduce the number of MP's
• Make the devolved Government of Scotland make a full contribution to its economy and stop the Freebies that are made at the expense of English tax payers.

I dare say that my friend "MAD" will have something to say about these few items and I look forward to hearing from him !!

Now for the European Union - It was interesting to see the outcome of the Irish Referendum this week and the somewhat odd YES vote it resulted in. I will not and cannot comment on the Lisbon Treaty as I have never seen the 250 or so pages of it and would not be able to understand it if I did. But, what I can't understand is why is that so many countries in Eastern Europe are so keen to surrender sovereignty to Brussels when they have only just shaken off the yoke of Soviet Communism, several coups and turmoil only to find stability and then give it all up? Another country, nearer to home who only shock off a Fascist Government in 1969, yes, Spain are doing precisely the same as Ireland. I ask myself, what are the IRA or the other "dissident" Republican in Ireland going to do now? They, it seems, have been fighting for the "freedom" of the Irish people from the "English" (why not the British given that the majority in Northern Ireland of a "loyalist" persuasion are of Scottish stock and somewhat oddly referred to by Americans as "Scotch/Irish"). The IRA have no doubt found a new "enemy" in the shape of the EU who will threaten their sovereignty and iron fist rule of the land. This will be interesting to see with Ireland now in the midst of a WORSE financial crises than Britain... Ah, I see now, that's why they are so keen to roll over.... Millions of Euros! But will they get them?

Finally and at last General Sir Richard Dannatt has spoken out about the lack of support for extra troops in Afghanistan. Dear old GB (bless him and all he stands for) when Chancellor had little or no interest in the needs of the Army to fight Blair's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It was only when he fell into the present Job as Prime Minister that he suddenly took on the mantle of great supporter of all things military (and had his teeth fixed) and started talking as if he really did respect the troops and the fine things they are achieving in battle today. Now we know the truth , he denied the General the troops he so very much needed to give a greater advantage to our soldiers on the ground. He hates the Military in reality as I have no doubt that he actually fears it as did Harold Wilson back in the 60's/70's. I have avoided writing about Bob Ainsworth(less) as it makes me too angry to find the words without sounding insane.

On a much brighter note I do have to mention some good reads and some good TV

• The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  
• The Girl who Played with Fire
  
• The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest

Three excellent compelling crime books by the late Stieg Larsson about the heroine of all three - Lisbeth Salander

• Dead Simple
• Looking Good Dead
• Dead Man's Footsteps
• Not Dead Enough

These books in the series by Peter James and about Det Superintendent Roy Grace are set in Brighton and are seriously scary and hard to put down books!

Ah now for TV, I have enthused about the Wallander TV series with Kenneth Branagh and the original Wallander Swedish series which is being broadvast on BBC 4 starting 7 October 2009 (repeated actually) is truly excellent.

Both productions are from Yellow Bird which has produced some fantastic results in both the English and Swedish language productions... the subtitles do not detract from the enjoyment!!

And Finally, "Flashforward" Not sure if this will catch on with everyone, but it gripped us!! Only two episodes but will it breed more?

Bye for now!!