Doncaster
Mick headed off to the bus station this morning to head out to Harworth Heating. This is the company who make Bubble Stoves, we have a multifuel corner version of theirs. Living aboard full time means the stove is in constant use for several months. As we all know using things is a mistake as they start to show wear and tear.
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| Our Stove |
When we specked our stove we asked for it not to have a fiddle rail, this is a decorative top edge which would get in the way of using the top to cook on, or I’d have had to buy new smaller cast iron pots that fitted. We have also been wondering if a couple of other bits were missing from it too. Mick went armed with photos of our stove and a list of spares that we were after, a new piece of glass for the door being the main one as the existing one is quite scratched now.
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| Bubbles |
He chatted with the lady in the show room and then went through into the workshop. A chap here was putting the next batch of Bubble stoves together, a long line of multi-fuel and diesel versions on the bench.
One piece we thought we were missing from the inside the stove had been superseded three years ago and we have the modern version, a spare needed to be taken from one of the stoves being put together. Then the chap confirmed that we should have another piece around the base of our stove, purely for aesthetics. It would need moving every time we wanted to adjust the air flow or deal with the ash pan. It looks like we didn’t get one of these because it wouldn’t fit on the hearth that had been made for the stove. This doesn’t bother us that much as it would be a faff.
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| Expensive spares |
So Mick got a new glass, vermiculite brick with holes in for the front of the stove, some rope for the door and glass and a new riddle plate. Most of these are spares to be kept safe for when the time comes as few chandlers stock them.
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| There is always a nice vintage car here having work done to it |
Whilst Mick was on buses and looking at the vintage car currently being cared for in their workshop I ventured into Doncaster to look at the markets.
The Wool Market is currently being refurbished, but there was still a lot to look at. The outdoor market had plenty of fruit and veg, slippers one haberdashery stall, but sadly no red sheeting I’m after for a project.
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| Sea food |
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| Salmon and rabbits |
Then down a little snicket you are led into the Fish Market. Not quite the range we’d seen in Oxford, but still a good quantity, two whole stalls just selling seafood, the vapour of vinegar a touch off putting. Then a food hall, more fruit and veg and plenty of butchers with meats and pies galore.
Plenty to see and smell, I did really well and only bought 3 punnets of blueberries for £1!
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| A must if in Doncaster |
Next was a good nosy around Scicluna Deli. Originally a stall on the market selling Mediterranean foods the lady decided to expand her range and got a shop near to the market. If you love food from just about anywhere in the world and find yourself in Doncaster you have to visit this shop.
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| Sacks of cinnamon sticks |
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| Veg and tumeric roots |
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| Packets, jars and tins of everything |
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| A wall of flavoured oils and vinegars |
Piled high only goes someway to describing it. Sacks of flour, rice, pulses fill the floor. A large cheese counter, cured meats, olives, fruit, vegetables, spices, breads, sweets, a wall of flavoured oils, jars, tins, packets of all sorts of ingredients. I have made a long list of all the flours recommended in my River Cottage gluten free cook book for making bread and pasta and shall return tomorrow to see how many they have in small bags, or to weigh. If I get chance before we come back this way I’ll test out some of the recipes and stock up on those that are worth having.
I have been grounded. She pointed out to me the lack of trees and friendly cover. The locals aren’t that friendly either, one man said I was Postman Pats cat, Jess! He obviously knows nothing!! Jess may have a white tip to his (yes he is a HE) tail, but HE only has two white paws and not all of those are white and HE also has more white on HIS face. So I would like to point out that I (a SHE) is nothing like Jess at all! We are both one offs.
Tom and Her have been trying to fool me recently. My diet so far has been very nice, but I quite fancied a change, maybe something a little bit more exotic. So my evening ding ding has had a mere sniff and a single lick from me for several days. Yesterday they came back saying they’d bought pink glittery food. NO way was this stuff remotely pink it was in a green box which was very very dull, no glitter about it at all! So today they tried again. I’d quite liked some pink tuna the other day so they came back with two boxes. One pink, one blue. Blue boxes are normally boring and not even worth a sniff, (unless you can sit in them) but if I wanted something more exotic then I was willing to give it a try.
Sardine and Saithe, it sounded like it had potential. Boy did it!! It didn’t stay long in my bowl. As I haven’t eaten much in the last few days I was allowed another flavour to try, Salmon and Trout, this one will last me longer, it’s also quite tasty, well for now anyway.
0 locks, 0 miles, 2 buses, 1 riddle grate, 1 glass, 1 set of rope, 1 vermiculite brick, 1 expensive shopping trip, 3 lots of blueberries, 1 cheap shopping trip, 2 much to choose from, 1 list required, 5th ball finished, 7 more to go, 3 new varieties of cat food, 1 rejected, 1 a possible, 1 unknown.