Food.

Various rumours reach me that after many months, repair work to the controversial fish roundabout in Erith town centre is to finally begin, probably in September. The rather striking sculpture had been hit by a vehicle last December, and extensively damaged. Reports reached me that finally it is shortly to undergo repairs. There had been some debate as to whether the sculpture was so badly damaged that it would have to be demolished. It is still unclear what the future of the landmark at the centre of the roundabout adjacent to the former Erith town hall and the Bexley Road railway bridge is to be. The roundabout itself is apparently the second busiest in the borough after the one neighbouring Hall Place and the A2. A great deal of traffic comes along Bronze Age Way at speed from the busy dual carriageway and as a result, there have been multiple accidents at the fish roundabout, more properly known as The Deluci fish sculpture. The roundabout sculpture has caused controversy over the years as some local residents have found it garish and unsuited to the locality. It has however become a well-known local landmark. Personally I have moderated my views on the giant mosaic sculpture since it was installed by artist Gary Drostle back in 2006. Yes it is still debatably horrid to look at, but it does perform a valuable function; whenever someone from outside of the area wants directions, they can easily be told "when you see the fish roundabout, you are in Erith!" Thankfully no other town in the UK has anything quite so unique, and it does provide a unusual theme to the main roundabout in and out of town. What do you think? Have you got so used to the fish sculpture as part of the town's identity that Erith would be worse off without it, or do you still find it an unwelcome part of the local landscape? It certainly makes a strong navigational reference point for people unfamiliar with the area. What do you think? Comments and feedback to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com. 

The British Indian restaurant has undergone turbulent times over the last couple of decades. In the early 2000s the restaurants popularity dropped considerably due to the increase in use of other restaurants and also the financial crisis which meant that people did not eat out nearly as much as they used to. In the last couple of years, British Indian restaurants have shown a Resurgence in their popularity in both sit in and take away guides. Despite ongoing problems with staffing and the increase in cost of ingredients and overheads such as labour and energy, the restaurants are now doing extremely well. An example of this is the Masala Inn, located in Bexleyheath Broadway, which has just won an award as the best Indian restaurant in London. I must admit that I have been giving quite a bit of thought, and some online research on the subject of the British Indian Restaurant. There were six 'Indian' restaurants in the whole of Britain in 1939 - three in London (one of which, the Halal in St Mark Street E1, is a former haunt of mine), and one each in Oxford, Cambridge and Manchester. In 2024 there were roughly 8,500. Eighty five percent are Bangladeshi-owned and with mainly Bangladeshi personnel. They have an annual market turnover of £2.5bn, representing a little over ten percent of all restaurant business in UK. There is direct employment at the curry restaurant of over 100,000 personnel. with an indirect additional employment in supply and related industries for a further 50,000 plus. The Bangladeshi run “Indian” restaurant has become a well – loved feature of many British high street - they offer their diners a large and comprehensive range of curries, many of which are of Indian origin, if somewhat modified over time, and engineered to suit local tastes. You will find a number of ‘restaurant favourites’ such as Samosas, Onion Bhaji, Kebabs, Chicken Tikka and its popular derivative Chicken Tikka Masala curry. Other famous curries included Korma, Bhuna, Pasanda, Jalfrezi, Biriani and Pilaf. The have developed a rapid production method for serving their food. The authentic curries and accompaniments of Bangladesh have much in common with those of Bengal, and indeed the whole of India, the spicing is distinctive and subtle. Beef is the prevalent meat, and duck is popular. Tropical fish and exotic vegetables (now available in the UK from many supermarkets, as well as specialist stores) form an indispensable part of the Bengali/Bangladeshi diet. They use mustard and poppy seed extensively. Their important five spice mixture, Panch Phoron, has differences as subtle as their spelling. For example, in Calcutta, Bengal’s capital, it will include white cumin, fennel, fenugreek, mustard or celery seed and wild onion. In Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital, celery seed would not be used, but black cumin and aniseed would replace wild onion and fennel. Bangladeshi Garam Masala will, like as not, contain chilli. Surprisingly perhaps, Bangladeshis adore the chilli, and it appears in many forms, in many recipes, not so as to swamp the delicacy of the spicing - rather to punctuate it. Some curries may use as little as three of four spices, and the effect is remarkable. Coriander, turmeric and cassia , for example, are all that is needed to produce the Bangladeshi version of that old favourite, Bhuna, whilst their versions of Korma are creamy and mild. Yet the results are neither tame or bland. Bangladesh has a unique range of curry cooking. Nowhere else on the subcontinent has such an array of tastes - sour, bitter, sweet, hot, savoury, mild, pungent and fragrant. Bangladeshis adore all of these tastes, which they achieve by using tamarind and sour fruits, bitter vegetables, molasses, chillies and uniquely subtle blends of spices. Creamy curries, contrast with dry stir-fries, fluffy rice, with chewy breads. Sometimes cooked with nothing more than garlic with, a sprinkling of whole spice seeds and chilli, these recipes achieve great culinary heights, and are ideal for the health-conscious cook. Many British 'Indian' restaurants operate to a formula which was pioneered in the late 1940s. In those early restaurants, a way had to be found to deliver a variety of curries, without an unreasonable delay, from order to table. Since all authentic Indian recipes require hours of cooking in individual pots, there was no guarantee that they would even be ordered. So cubed meat, chicken or potatoes, dhal and some vegetables were lightly curried and chilled, and a large pot of thick curry gravy, a kind of master stock, was brewed to medium-heat strength. To this day, portion by portion, on demand, these ingredients are reheated by pan-frying them with further spices and flavourings. At its simplest, a Medium Chicken Curry, that benchmark of middle ground, is still on many menus, though sometimes disguised as Masala, and requires no more than a reheat of some gravy with some chicken. For instance, take a typical mixed order for a couple at a table for two. She wants Chicken Korma (fry a little turmeric, coriander and cumin, add six pieces of chicken, add a ladleful of curry gravy, plenty of creamed coconut, almonds maybe and a little cream – result, the additions make it mild and creamy-golden in colour), and with it she'll have Vegetable Dhansak (fry some cumin seeds, dry methi leaves, chopped onions, tomato, red and green bell pepper with the gravy, add dhal and some cooked veg – result, colourful, and still medium-strength). He wants Lamb Korma (as for the chicken recipe, instead using pre – cooked Lamb), and he wants Prawn Vindaloo (fry spices and chilli powder, add the gravy which at once goes red and piquant, then cooked peeled prawns, fresh tomato and potato, simmer and serve). Maybe they will also take a Sag Paneer (fry cumin seeds, some thawed creamed spinach and premade crumbled paneer together, add fresh coriander – and that is it). One cook can knock all these up, simultaneously, in five pans, within minutes. Rice is precooked, breads and tandoori items made to order by a different, usually junior chef.  The order is thus successfully completed. Thus the menu can be very long, with an almost unlimited variety of dishes, sometimes numbered, sometimes heat-graded, mild, medium and hot, hottest, and any dish is available in lamb, chicken, prawn, king prawn, and most vegetables, too. That is the formula, and its perpetrator is the standard curry house. Just because this is not authentic as you would find in an Indian or Bangladeshi household does not make it bad. It can be, and variously is, done well. If you consult YouTube you will find dozens of videos showing you how to prepare both authentic Indian curries, and also BIR (British Indian Restaurant) curries. Personally, when I am well I prefer cooking my curries from scratch, using individual spices – I certainly don’t use any pre – prepared cooking sauces, as making it the authentic way is not just a lot tastier, it is also far cheaper too. I prefer to watch cooking videos in the British Indian Restaurant style by YouTube curry expert Al in his kitchen.

Concerns have been raised over the potential future of the giant Hovis bread bakery in Northumberland Heath, which was historically called Grooms, as per the advert above. On Friday it was announced that rival baker Kingsmill had purchased Hovis and would be merging the two baking companies into one larger organisation. Associated British Foods (ABF) which owns Kingsmill, and also owns Primark, Ryvita and Twinings, said it would cut costs to make the two currently loss-making businesses profitable. This has raised worries that the long established Hovis bakery in Northumberland Heath might be threatened with closure with the consequent loss of jobs. At present it is far too early to say exactly what is happening, but it must cause a great deal of worry for the workers and families of the workers at the bakery which has existed in Northumberland Heath for decades.

The end video this week features a short documentary on the history of Deptford Bridge DLR station by popular transport YouTuber Jago Hazzard. Comments to me at hugh.neal@gmail.com.