h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

>> I got married in the 70s

You never did! You must have been a child bride.

Anything made with a fondue set.

Anything served with a Splayd.

Anything prepared using any device sold by Ronco, which is "not available in any shops".

Duck a l'orange washed down with Mateus Rose.
This combination was so reliable for pulling that many people based their entire wardrobe on matching colours.

It's all coming back to me. Usually we got very good home-cooked-from scratch meals. Often Indian or Chinese (my parents met in Singapore and were very adventurous with food for the 60s/70s)

But now and again it was boil-in-the-bag cod in parsley sauce with frozen peas and crinkle cut chips. Heaven.

We didn't have Angel Delight though, it was Instant Whip all the way (or Ski yoghurt)

Speaking of Vesta Meals, I have hunted high and low for a shop that still sells the Beef Risotto. You can find it online, but they charge silly amounts both for it and the postage. Does anyone know of an outlet on the high street where you can still buy it?

Are you sure you really want some, CB?

**

Ski Yoghurt!!! I went to Cambridge Tech (as it was then ... it's now evolved through Polytechnic to Ruskin University. As if Cambridge needed another University!) In the canteen there was a choice of a yoghurts for pudding - one tray of various mixed sorts and one whole tray of ski black cherry yoghurt. It's still my favourite flavour today.

Thanks for the compliment Ben. I'll invite you to my Golden Wedding Anniversary party! I really did get married in 1977.

We still get ski yoghurt, but I haven't seen the Prize Guys for a while.

"boil-in-the-bag cod in parsley sauce"

Haven't had it for years, but I've always had a soft spot for that stuff. Apart from opening the bag.

Now it's all coming back. Remember those "mousse" things in the little plastic tubs? Bright yellow, the lemon ones were.

Oh they were lovely. Weren't they frozen, but still soft enough to eat straight out of the freezer?

Deb

Crivvens, I'd forgotten about them.

Two words (and a smiley): Arctic roll

not sure Deb, we used to get ours out of the fridge. The containers were sort of "jelly mould" shaped and you couldn't get your spoon in to get the last of the bright-coloured foamy substance out. So when the parents weren't looking we used to use our fingers.

arctic roll

A slice of Arctic roll on its side with a tinned peach half on top with a dribble of the syrup poured around it so the sponge soaked it up...

Now that was 'afters'!

Mousse!

I can date my first experience of it to about 1969. It was frozen, but in a little block, the size that would fit in between two ice cream wafers. It came wrapped in cardboard and needed to be defrosted before eating it.

I remember it coming in chocolate and orange flavours, but think it is likely that it came in strawberry too.

PP

I used to eat that boil in the bag cod n parsley sauce type things a lot when I were a student... and you've just reminded me... I got some delivered from the supermarket random incorrect item fairy last time I did a grocery shop I ... hmmm... think I'd normally have had it with new potatos must try that one night soon

they still do artic roll, and those frozen moose type things... not quite* ready to eat out of the freezer, just ten mins I recall and they'd soften enough

The 70's didn't relaly get to where I lived until the early* 80's, the main thing I recall is the terrible failure of 'salad'.... taht is one thing which has definately improved

oh I remember the frozen blocks of mousse we had that very occasionally.

Oh and Bird's Eye chicken pie. yum yum. There was a small picture of a fox on the box it came in and in our family it's always known as Foxy Pie - even though we probably only ever had it once (ever after my mum made her own)

I've seen they do Vesta meals in our local poundland. I used to love their crispy noodles

As an 80s bride I ended up with a lovely collection of glass dishes:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/LARGE-GLASS-BOWL-WITH-4-SMALL-DISHES,-APPLE-SHAPED-KM17_W0QQitemZ290327957777QQcmdZViewItem?rvr_id=&rvr_id=&cguid=437e5e3a1240a0e204922a32ff436eeb

The early morning clatter of the milk man as he left 1x gold, red and silver top milk bottle. Only to find that a had got the best of the cream from your gold top bottle. Oh and that smell of coffee that wafted through the house as the coffee percolator happily bubbled away

Typical pub menu of the 70's was Prawn Cocktail followed by Steak and Chips with salad garnish followed by Black Forest Gateaux.