The Ashes

Snakes and Ladders?

Kaplunk or nothing.Well, maybe Buckeroo.

I'm more of a Hungry Hippo kinda guy myself.

Seriously? Well, then I don't either. I have a good friend who is english and he's the one who told me about "puddin singing in the copper". Apperantly it's pudding cooking on the stove in a copper pan or something.You never heard of "bangers and mash"?ABE: Ok, I found something:"That famous plum pudding that Mrs. Cratchit crowns the Cratchit Christmas dinner with was not made of plums, but raisins.
The 'copper' used to boil the pudding was used the rest of the year for the Cratchit family laundry thus the Cratchit children help Tiny Tim to the wash-house 'that he might hear the pudding singing in the copper'."Something to do with plum pudding I guess.Reference:http://www.murfreesboropost.com/...e-the-civil-war-cms-14455And about bangers and mash:"Bangers and mash, also known as sausages and mash, is a traditional English dish made of mashed potatoes and sausages, the latter of which may be one of a variety of flavoured sausage made of pork or beef or a Cumberland sausage.The dish is sometimes served with a rich onion gravy. It can also often be found served with fried onions.This dish may, even when cooked at home, be thought of as an example of pub grub relatively quick and easy to make in large quantities as well as being tasty and satisfying. More up-market varieties, with exotic sausages and mashes, are sold in gastropubs, as well as less exotic alternatives being available in regular public houses."Bangers and mash - WikipediaCome on man, you live in london! You should know all this. You ever hear of Baker Street? Edited by Chuck77, : No reason given.Edited by Chuck77, : No reason given.

So maybe you can cork up the scratchings, but you haven't got the knuckle for a twist of Mary Sue ... you chicken-and-a-ha'penny man.

I am well acquainted with 'Bangers and Mash'. In fact I ate exactly that in the pub only the other evening. Surely even Yanks eat sausages and mashed potato?As for "puddin singing in the copper" - Never heard of it. How old is your friend? Like 150 or something? I believe that aluminium and teflon are materials commonly used in cookware these days. My long past grandmother would have considered copper pots a bit archaic..... I am sitting only round the corner from there as I write. But it's not exactly the Dickensian place of copper pots you seem to be envisaging.

I think Chuck would've sounded more authentic if he said he was having a pint & a curry while watching the cricket.

Isn't Baker Street more Doylian?

Very much so.But if ever Chuck does visits the UK and venture into a pub to request a "puddin singing in the copper" I would love to be there to see the reaction.

Sure. But Dickens lived in the Marylebone area and I'm guessin the copper pots he was (and Chuck is) talking about can't have been too far away from here.

When I was working I spent a lot of time in London in that area. The hotel has changed hands several times but it is the one on Lodge Rd. just off Park Rd. backing on to Lord's. I was up and down Baker St all the time. Listening to you talk about the area makes me very nostalgic.I used to like a pub called Crocker's Folly which had an interesting story but I believe it's closed down now. It didn't seem to be that busy but they had a good fish pie, and Guinness is always good.

I'm sure I've been to the Crockers Folly after an England game at Lords back when I was a whippersnapper.Looking it up it has been closed for years. Pub fish pie is a winner but (and I repeat the words of an Irish colleague looking over my shoulder) "Guinness in London is gnats shite compared to the real stuff".

London was such an interesting place to walk around in. Loved it there. Another couple of pubs we liked were "The New Inn' and "The Ordinance Arms" in St. John's Wood.Apparently Crocker's Folly was built years ago in anticipation of a terminal for the Underground being built across the street. The plans for the Underground changed and as a result Crocker was financially devastated and the story goes that he hung himself in one of the upstairs rooms. I think it finally closed about 7 years ago.

You know, not really. It's not a natural pairing for us. When cased sausages make their way to a dinner plate - as opposed to a bun with ketchup, mustard, and onion - the traditional accompaniment is sauerkraut.But primarily sausages are a hand food for us, usually grilled at somebody's cookout. In a situation like that there's more likely to be potato salad and cole slaw, not mashed potatoes. And they're usually brats or franks. (I love me a good brat! Beer boiled with onions and a little butter, then grilled to perfection on a sourdough roll with a little kraut and onion. Don't touch the red and yellow stuff or the dogs, myself.)I don't think I've once in my life cooked a sausage and mashed some potatoes. I usually don't make mashed potatoes unless there's something to make gravy out of, and a sausage doesn't really give you much in the way of drippings.

I've been trying to remember the last time I had mashed potatoes with sausage and I can't.Mashed potatoes and turkey...check.Mashed potatoes and roast...checkMashed potatoes and chicken...checkMashed potatoes and Ham...check Mashed potatoes and sausage?...dunnoEdited by Chuck77, : No reason given.