A hookbone rising from my food, and all things either good or ungood

[venta]

At least once a week, I trundle straight from work onto a train and head off to a dance practice. Being the sort of person who likes meals at nice regular intervals, I pick something up in the station as I pass through. A few years ago, that basically meant Burger King or Upper Crust. These days there are the heady alternatives of M&S Food and Subway. My default choice for some time has been Subway, because it's hot (ie more like a meal, in my book), made from something at least resembling real food, and inexpensive.

For ages, I've been wondering why stations never sell proper, reasonably healthy, takeaway meals - a bowl of rice and curry, a bowl of pasta, a plate of noodles... sometimes you can get soup, but the UK's highstreets are mostly very low on decent street-food options.

I noticed recently a new kiosk was arriving in Reading. I was inclined to dislike it, because a number of bike-racks were demolished to make space for it. Reading does have a lot of bike-racks, but it also has a lot of bikes and space is a bit short. However, stomach overcame principles...

Stewed![*] has a pretty simple plan: make one-pot, stewy sort of meals, sell 'em in tubs to commuters. Yesterday, I paid £3.95 for a reasonable-sized tub of beef goulash and mashed potato, garnished with a spoonful of fresh veg, and jolly nice it was too.

Probably not nice in the sense that if I'd had it in a restaurant it wasn't rave-worthy, and I might not be bothering to tell you. But if considering it on the same level as Subway and Burger King, it's a damn fine option and very good value. (They also do monster-sized pots at £5.95)

Yesterday I had the choice of beef goulash, a chorizo-and-chickpea thing, a Mexican 3-bean chilli (which was vegetarian) and I think at least one other thing (also vegetarian). I also had the choice of mashed spud, couscous or rice as a side-dish. My fresh veg was grated carrot, diced raw pepper, peas and soy beans (no choice to made there, other than do you want it or not). And I think my mash was made from real potatoes, not nasty regurgitated reconstituted stuff. And their website even suggests that all their food is gluten-free.

I'm most impressed. Finally: inexpensive, tasty, reasonably healthy-seeming food which is suitable for a good range of people. (I mean, I'm sure there will be people with dietary problems that aren't catered for, but offering vegetarian and gluten-free choices sounds like a start.) Now I just need everyone to start eating there to encourage them to keep going :) So, er, off you go.

[*] That website seems to deal only with their supermarket ranges - it looks like Reading is their first foray into station kiosk-land.

Comments

[venta.livejournal.com]

And while we're on the topic: what is it with restaurant menus these days advertising "mash potato"? It's mashed potato. Or mash. But what is "mash potato"?

[phlebas.livejournal.com]

I'd guess it's the American influence, being less aware of parts of speech or something.
Johnny or Nick?

[venta.livejournal.com]

Oh Nick, I think, today.

[bateleur.livejournal.com]

But what is "mash potato"?

Contrary to phlebas's theory, I think it's simply the way people pronounce "mashed potato" in practice.

Which is why this naming of the dish happens alot.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Logically, that should lead to people writing about "six form" instead of "sixth form" (which I guess it might do, but I haven't seen it).

However, I am delighted by the alot.

[al-fruitbat.livejournal.com]

In similar vein, the appalling "Chest of draws" :-)

And I think my head is burning

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

That does sound rather good, I shall look out for that next time in near Civilisation!

[venta.livejournal.com]

Seldom has the definition of "near Civilisation" been "in Reading" :)

And a kudo for thinking your head is burning.

[sushidog.livejournal.com]

I live in Plymouth, so Reading does look "near civilisation" from here!

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

Ah, but in Plymouth you can get awesome pasties!

[shui-long.livejournal.com]

Only for certain values of "civilisation"... it isn't that far to Oxford, which is reasonably civilised.

And there you are, living in the home town of Ivor Dewdney's pasties? What more could you want?

[I actually live in Reading. My mother was born in Plymouth, and my grandmother lived all her life there.]

[feanelwa.livejournal.com]

This is excellent news! The last time I went through Reading the only meal-like food I could find without going out through the ticket barriers and having to explain my way back in to catch the train was Subway.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Ah, in that case I'm afraid it's not quite such good news :( Stewed! is outside the ticket barriers, and indeed the Subway that used to be inside has vanished in recent months. In fact, due to the ongoing refurbishment virtually everything inside the barriers has gone (on the plus side, this does mean the staff are usually pretty flexible about letting you out to go to shops and things).

[the-alchemist.livejournal.com]

I've come across them in supermarkets, and indeed often take one of their pots to work for lunch (along with a sachet of rice), but I've never come across them being sold hot anywhere. Their website suggests they're available at St Pancras (though I would have assumed just cold, not hot). Is that where you found them?

EDIT: Also, I recommend Leon for decent, cheapish fast food along not dissimilar lines.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I found them selling from a kiosk outside Reading station - looking at the blog on their website, it suggests that this is their first kiosk. I'm hoping that enough people will buy stews in Reading that they open some more!

[venta.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I've encountered Leons but never eaten from one - I'm not sure why, but their outside always put me off and made me think the food would be disappointing. Next time I meet one I shall investigate!

[ringbark.livejournal.com]

A former colleague thought Leons was wonderful and kept taking us there. But when he wasn't with us, we *never* went there, if you get my meaning.

[glamwhorebunni.livejournal.com]

They should open ones in town centres. If there was one of these in Oxford centre I'd go there every day.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I hope that if this one is successful they will open more :)

I reckon the best option in Oxford centre (at my last survey) was Pieminister in the covered market.

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

There's the falafel place in Gloucester Green. I still go there whenever I'm in town.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Hmm, yes, a little booth-y sort of place, near the cobblers? I'm not sure I've ever eaten from there. Which is odd, because I like falafel.

At least in part due to it being a very fun word to say :)

[pseudomonas.livejournal.com]

I think it's called Falafel House. Do try it! I don't remember a cobblers, though yes, it's a little booth.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

There used to be a falafel place in London called 'Just Falafs'. No idea if it still exists.

[shui-long.livejournal.com]

Angrid Thai Canteen in Gloucester Green isn't bad - reasonably authentic, and good value.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

Itsu and Wasabi are both good for cheap, nutritious food - they do cold sushi stuff but also hot noodle dishes or noodle soup, for about a fiver a pop which is the same as you'd pay for a Burger King meal.

[venta.livejournal.com]

I do like both Itsu and Wasabi, but neither has made it to Reading yet :)

Having claimed that the UK's highstreets were quite poor for non-sarnie non-junk takeaway options, it has occurred to me since that actually London has quite a few different chains (of variable quality) offering the sort of thing I want.

[phlebas.livejournal.com]

I think the best sushi I've ever had was from a place (not a chain as far as I know) in the tunnels of Bristol station. Sea bass sashimi, cut to order and delicious.

[venta.livejournal.com]

Mmmm.... raw fish :)

Ealing has a large Japanese population, which means we have lots of great Japanese restaurants in our immediate area. Best of all, there is an unprepossessing-looking corner shop which has a fish counter at the back, selling sashimi-grade fish. We can get enough to stuff two of us full (to the gills ;) for about £12-15 which is fabulous.

[triskellian]

Not entirely gluten-free - I think couscous is made of wheat (this is a new and exciting voyage of discovery for me, cos smiorgan has recently gone GF), but sounds great otherwise. Put me down as another vote for 'there should be one in Oxford'.

[venta.livejournal.com]

That's my fault, not theirs - their website says "all our one-pot meals are gluten free", which I over-generalised. The carby-side is dolloped in from separate dishes so couscous is avoidable (I'd actually forgotten it was wheaty, which is foolish).

(Having written "carby-side" I'm now wondering if carbicide is what you commit when you dig up potatoes, or a means of killing your friends by over-feeding them mash...)

[lnr]

Gosh, I've bought them online from Ocado before to reheat at home (along with Innocent pots and Easy Bean ones - which are all a similar idea) but I hadn't heard they were setting up shops/kiosks too. What a neat idea!

[jiggery-pokery.livejournal.com]

Innocent pots sprang to my mind, too

If I won the EuroMillions (and a big jackpot at that) or otherwise had some other method giving me several million pounds which I had to distribute through an X-Prize style contest to try to benefit public life, it would be to try to incentivise fast food restaurants to serve a wide variety of fast food that was 5-a-day compliant, had sugar / fat / etc. contents that people would not criticise in the same way as they would for most fast food, sold at a price point that is attractive in practice and for the restaurants to treat their employees as well as you might hope. stewed! sounds like a good start. Subway, as per the original post, fits the bill moderately well also.

Failing that, McDonalds' salads (if you know what you're doing and can avoid the cheese, gloopy sauce, bacon, fried battered chicken etc.) fit the bill better than you might think, though their staff sometimes need educating that they exist. The salads at the US chain in the icon even more so, especially the part about needing to eliminate the baddies.

[venta.livejournal.com]

The main trouble I have with salads in general (I don't know about McD's salads, as I've never met one) is that they tend to be made out of (a) lardy things and (b) lettuce. And I like lettuce and all, but it does not a meal make.

M&S do now have a decent range of salads which are made of foody things which are not entirely lardy, but the likes of Tesco and so on still seem to believe that if you cover anything with sufficient mayonnaise it'll be a good meal choice.

[fractalgeek.livejournal.com]

St Pancras has lots of decent shops, but I would specifically point you at Kings Cross and "Yalla Yalla!"

[venta.livejournal.com]

Thanks, I'll remember that for next time I'm in KX. The big London terminals are in general much better equipped with nice eateries than most stations.

[satyrica.livejournal.com]

Fast Food with Actual Vegetables?? Surely a sign on the end-times! (And a most welcome one at that)

[(Anonymous)]

Should you find yourself in Holland an increasing number of train stations feature 'Julia's Pasta'. Which offers a choice from four different pastas in a cardboard box with your choice of four or five different sauces. (So 20ish possible combinations). Little bit pricey, but very nice.