leyton.org

Scrapheap Challenge has been a programme I’ve always enjoyed, for it’s sheer technical and engineering interest, the enthusiastic engineers, eccentrics, the mad challenges and excellent production values and presenters. It ticked so many boxes: Great family entertainment, a good dollop of education, the thrill of a challenge and lots of humour.

But after ten years, it was clear they needed to do something new. Presenter Robert Llewellyn and Cathy Rogers were moving on, and you can’t really stick to the same format for too long without risking getting stale.

But having watched the first episode from the new version this evening, I’m left feeling rather sad that the production of the new series seems to have tried hard to keep Scrapheap, but missed the fundamentals of what made it work as a programme. Whilst they’ve got a great presenter with Dick Strawbridge, and there’s still a sense of invention, it’s not quite as madcap. It feels like there are too many people involved, and I found it really hard to find a narrative: All the contestants, family and observers seemed to be talking to an anonymous and silent off-camera interviewer, which just seemed to leave me feeling detached.

The production seems cheap too. All the sound effects from the previous version, and painfully simple graphics (including points shown right across the team-pic), and that lack of interviewer, it’s clear that budget costs have been slashed. Given how much the show is repeated on More4, I’m a bit surprised it’s not more of an investment on a show like this. But perhaps the viewing figures were falling away, so something had to give.

All said, I can’t see there being another series. They tried to keep Scrapheap Challenge, but simply forgot what made Scrapheap work. The ‘great egg race’ inspiration of the original was nowhere to be seen. What’s left seems to have many of the ingredients, but just doesn’t ’stick’ together in a cohesive way.

Yesterday I posted a transcript of the 1967-68 Good Food Guide review of my Grandparent’s restaurant, The Miners Arms. It rather appealed to me for the brief insight into the character of my Grandfather.

Another review followed in 1969-70, and was also available at Thornbury Castle, so I snapped a copy. It too has a wonderful anti-garlic quote (my Grandparents were famous garlic haters), and I love the comments about the size of parties, and opening hours being dependent on the boiler. Marvellous. Note it also got a Good Food Award.

I should stress, the Miners’ Arms is now a residential house (has been for quite some time).

Anyway, without further ado:

PRIDDY, Somerset   Miners’ Arms 4 Miles NW of Wells. Map 2. Priddy 217

Paul Leyton and his wife continue the individuality and excellence of their cuisine and wines at this remote and rather drab-looking inn. It is not even in Priddy, which is remote enough; it stands about two miles to the north-east, at the junction of the B3134 and B3135; a small off-white building. The food is a la carte only; an average lunch will cost you 22/-, and dinner is 27/6, excluding wine; the menu is unusual and imaginative. Among the best dishes are Mendip snails a la sauce du patron, cooked in a mixture of English herbs and ‘not obliterated by garlic’ (1/2 dozen, 6/6); clear snail soup (5/-); quenelles of Chew Valley trout with Normandy sauce (8/- as a starter); chicken in cider (10/0); quenelles of veal with mushroom sauce (11/6 as main dish); smothered chicken (with cream, onions an white wine (9/-); steak Theodora (with herbs), (17/6) ; lemon syllabub (3/6); and Miners’ Delight (cream ice and apricot in a pastry case with hot sherry sauce and cream, 3/6). As is perhaps inevitable in such a position, the deep freeze is used, but if it was always used so skilfully we should not complain. It is no place for large party, as everything is cooked to order. ‘Six is the maximum we can cope with in one party,’ states Mr Leyton, ‘to cook for more at the same time seizes up the kitchen.’ You must be prepared to wait half an hour in the lounge while your starters are cooked and be some time at table. The rooms are rather simple. The wines, about 85 in all, are chosen with great skill, and as things are (alas) can’t be called expensive. Quarter-pint glasses of French red or white cost 3/6 to 4/6; among the more expensive wines, a personal choice would be Ch. La Louviere, white Graves, ‘59 (22/-) or Scholls Bockelheimer ‘64 (21/-) to begin with, Ch. Bourgneuf ‘55 (26/-) or Volnay Caillerets ‘57 (28/-) to follow, and thereafter ask Mr Leyton’s advice.

Cl. Chr. & Boxing Days; probably 2 weeks end Nov/Dec; ‘and when the boiler bursts’. Must book. Meals 11.30-2; (summer) 6-9.45 (Su 7-7.30); (winter) 6.30-8.30 (Sa 9.3, Su 7-7.30). Alc main dishes 5/6 to 17/6. Cover 2/6. Seats 24. Restaurant & residential lic. Car park. No dogs in d/r. B&B from 30/-. STABILISED PRICES

GOOD FOOD AWARD CLASS C

Whilst at a family wedding last week at Thornbury Castle, my father showed me a copy the castle had in its library of the 1967-68 Good Food Guide, which contained a review of my Grandparent’s restaurant, The Miners’ Arms.

My Grandfather died back in 1998 (his obituaries are available to read here), and throughout my life I’ve always been very interested in what he got up, and what people had to say about him. So this rather tickled me, as it gives a bit of insight into my grandfather’s character.

That said, perhaps I’m rather affected by my own memories. Reading it now, I’m sure he probably annoyed a few people in his time with his idea of refusing to serve people particular dishes who ’spoilt their palettes’, but as somebody who’s toes curl whenever I see anybody unthinkingly applying salt to a meal (particularly one I’ve cooked) before tasting it, I can certainly sympathise.

Another anecdote relayed to me by one of my uncles was that of my Grandfather’s refusal to wear a morning suit to his wedding very much the standard custom at the time I gather. Very good to hear of his dislike of tradition, and his independent views very much to the fore.

Anyway, without further ado, here’s the extract from pages 261-262 of the 1967-68 Good Food Guide, by Raymond Postgate.

PRIDDY, Somerset. The Miners’ Arms, near Wells. At junction of B3134 and B3135. Map 2. Priddy. 217

During 1968 Mr and Mrs Paul Leyton, whose cuisine and wines at this whitewashed inn on the Mendip plateau have for six years earned the highest praise members can bestow, became known to an even wider public as the people who turned away ‘a four-guinea orange slubbed silk Cecil Gee roll-neck shirt’. This matter is referred to in the Preface: Mr Leyton’s own staff are informal both in dress and manner. Anyway, in the evening, though not at lunch, women must wear skirts and men jackets, collars and ties. Mr Leyton is strict in other respects, too – he will not service his more delicate dishes to people who insist on spoiling their palate by drinking martinis beforehand – and, not surprisingly, some people think the food does not justify the fuss. But most are content to take the Miners’ Arms on its own terms. Mr Leyton uses his deep-freeze cleverly and defends its use elegantly, but an occasional dish of some freshly-dug and cooked root vegetable might with advantage appear more often on his menus. The restaurant is well known for its morning-gathered Mendip snails (7/6 a half dozen, or 5/- as a clear soup) but for delicacy his quenelles of trout (8/6), or loin of pork smoked in his own vast chumney (7/6) are better starters. Main courses, though very good, especially steak Theodora (rare with herbs, 17/6), are less remarkable. To finish, try orange conserve (5/-). The wine list has been reconstructed: there is still a ‘49 Ch. Petrus (80/-) or a ‘59 Musigny (50/-) or other even dearer bottles for a great occasion, but there are also five simple draught wines at 16/- a pint, and a charming English rose from Lt-Col Gore-Browne’s vineyard at Beaulieu (26/-).

Cl. Chr. & Boxing Days; 3 weeks Nov-Dec; Su D. Must book. Meals 11.30-2; 6-9.45 (winter, 8.30). Alc main dishes 7/6 to 17/6. Cover 2/6. Seats 24. No dogs. B&B from 35/- p.d.

* Class C

App. by too many members to list.

The Scottish Athletics forum closed down rather abruptly over the weekend, but I’ve just seen this rather ominously worded news item:

In order to protect sponsors and public partners, the forum section of the scottishathletics website is now closed.

Whilst the forum did sometimes feel a bit opinionated, and not particularly ‘relaxed’, it still seems rather a shame to take this rather drastic action, and shut it down completely.

Building an on-line community, particularly from one that is already well established off-line, can be a very hard thing to do. Sometimes discussions that might seem quite harmless off-line, can seem quite hostile on-line. Without a bottle of beer and a smirk to highlight somebody is making light of something, conversations can rapidly become far too serious. Plus, of course, there’s nothing quite like an empty or poorly populated forum to generate an empty, chill, wind, publicly emphasising few people care as much as you’d hoped.

In the Scottish Athletics case, it seems a bit harsh to shut it down entirely, and then to be public about its reasoning. I’d have thought it might have been a better first step to move to moderate posts, or review the forum setup (fewer categories etc). As it is, they’ve cut off a forum that was already being used by a fair number of people, and known about by a lot more. It may well be a calculated decision based on a number of factors (not least that it’s not hugely widely known about in the wider community), but I fear their abrupt closure, they really risk annoying athletics supports that – from what I’d seen on the forum at least – had valid contributions to make, even if it wasn’t always to the benefit of Scottish Athletics.

I’d certainly be interested to hear what others think.

Last night I watched the excellent Daily Show (shown on More4 at 8.30pm), to see one of the most anticipated interviews that host Jon Stewart has done on the show since the presidential candidates were queuing up to appear. Jon Stewart has been in a bit of a public spat with CNBC finance journalist Jim Cramer over his advice, style and past record over the last few years of financial turmoil. It’s not just a case of bad tips (eg. tipping Bear Stearns a week or two before it collapsed), but his whole attitude and approach to financial matters.

There’s plenty of comment on the encounter on other websites (Prospect’s blog is worth a read, and includes links to the piece), and it was certainly fascinating. A slightly contrite display by Jim Cramer, it did feel like Jon Stewart pulled a few punches. He made excellent points, held the man to account, and really did an excellent job in showing up the poor coverage and attitudes in finance, and financial journalism, that surely contributed to the recent problems. It was simply a great combination of excellent satire, humour, and journalism. Well worth watching.

But throughout the show I couldn’t help but wonder where Britain’s equivalent was? We do have excellent satirists, no doubt, but it’s the format and frequency of The Daily Show that I wish we had. We have “Have I got news for you?”. Enjoyable though it is, it’s rarely particularly incisive, and does get rather childish at times. Chris Morris and Brasseye perhaps came close, and for topical, humourous, and activism, Mark Thomas.

Perhaps it’s that the talk show format hasn’t really ever taken off here in the same way it has in the US, or that our comedians can’t be tempted or persuaded to do a daily show. Certainly it’d be something I’d like to see at least tried over here.

I’ve a bit of a confession to make. I’ve a bit of a soft-spot for US crime/cop shows. Law and Order, CSI (original series, natch), and more recently, and despite some initial reluctance, Numbers.

For a while, it kinda bugged me as to why I like these shows. Let’s face it, they’re rarely that demanding. But I realised that I enjoy their self-contained format. There are, inevitably, story-arc’s, but they’re usually bite-sized in their own way: You can still watch the arc development shows without needing to know or care too much about character development, if you don’t want to. Being able to watch a show, miss a few, then just grab another, is the name of the game. Bite-sized cop shows. Usually something interesting going on, perhaps a bit of a moral or twist. Nothing too taxing at after a hard day at the, er, computer screen.

Of course, it has its downsides. By being bite-sized and time-limited, they have limited scope for complicated stories or characters (hence the story arc). Plus my usual gripe that US shows featuring any science or technology (ie. CSI/Numbers) almost inevitably involves silly computer usage (some “database” that can be readily searched, readily accessible CCTV cameras (always easy to “enhance” to get a retina reflection), and always involving windowing environments you’ve never ever seen before in your life), and painful use of technology no doubt envisaged by muppets.

Some time ago – we’re talking late 1990’s – I used to be a fan of The Bill. Largely because it coincided with my eating dinner, plus living on my own. I’d also recently returned from Germany, so glutted on British TV shows I’d missed. The Bill, you’ll recall, wasn’t previously a soap opera. In fact, as soon as the ‘character development’ cranked up, I pretty much stopped watching it. I didn’t want to care about characters. I just wanted to see a 30 minute show which involved criminals getting nicked godsdammit! (Yeah, BSG is another big favourite! You can tell, can’t you)

New UK derivative arrival “Law & Order: UK” didn’t entice me from the trailers, but it’s actually looking like it’ll go the distance. I can’t quite get used to Apollo^wJamie Bamber speaking with a British Accent, but it’s proving rather good (being born here helps, naturally!). The format seems to make the transition reasonably well. I’ll be curious to know if they show it in the US at any point. But certainly one to watch a bit more, and it’s suitably “bite sized” for my tastes.

I know many people love the tradition of boxing day sales. There seem to be some genuine bargains to be had out there, and it’s not hard to imagine the attraction in picking up something you’ve wanted, for a seriously reduced price.

But surely I can’t be the only person who finds it incomprehensible that people would be up at 4am on Boxing Day, queuing outside shops, so that they can be first through the door (along with thousands of others) to seek out a 20% reduction on a handbag? Especially with these chastened times meaning sales started early in a lot of places, and the difficult economic times mean consumers are likely to be in a strong position to demand continued discounts.

Pictures of crowds spilling through doors into the big department stores, explaining to camera how pleased they are, and store managers seeming quite pleased to get a bit of free publicity is all traditional Boxing day news item. But whilst I know full well what I find enjoyable isn’t to everybody else’s taste, try as I might I just can’t put myself in the mind of a 4am bargain hunter. Life is far too short, isn’t it? Or am I missing something?

Robert Peston is a man who rarely seems off the airwaves at the moment, from his Northern Rock news last year, through to his coverage of the financial meltdown we’re seeing today.

Whilst I can’t fault the substance of what he says, and it seems he’s got some substantial contacts, I’ve a few gripes with Mr Pestons presentation style (in particular his elocution), and his seeming self importance, matched solely by seeming self-belief. Most particularly his choice of language can be clumsy, and possibly even self-fulfilling. Watching his body language when being interviewed on television, particularly in the studio when he has to try and sit still for a little while whilst the presenter sets context, is always interesting.

But this exchange on Radio 4’s Today, this morning (at about 7:30 this morning) was delightful, and an example of something I’d suggest are real ‘Pestonisms’:

Evan Davis: Morning Robert, what do we know now [about the Treasury Statement]?

Robert Peston: Well, what we know Evan is that absolutely, well it confirms really, what I’ve been saying for 24 hours. Absolutely colossal sums going into RBS and HBOS. RBS raising £20b from taxpayers. HBOS £11.5b from taxpayers….

‘Pestonisms’ have been mentioned before, but I’d suggest that a true ‘Pestonism’ isn’t purely his spoken style, but also something that captures the raw essence that is Robert Peston.

Other examples gratefully received.

Returning home from a rain soaked running training session this evening, I caught the end of an interview on Radio 4’s Front Row with sculptor Richard Serra. Towards the end of the interview (28 minute offset) he made a fascinating aside about graffiti, specifically tagging, after being asked about a mark that the interviewer had seen on a recent installation:

If you notice, kids never tag advertisements because advertisements, they think, are something they aspire to, even though advertisements are probably what represses them and makes them conform more than anything else. Yet they’ll tag something they think has no useful function. And the interesting thing about art is that it’s purposely useless. That doesn’t mean it doesn’t have a use in terms of evoking feelings and sensations that nothing else can do, but it means it’s not useful in the utilitarian way that a doorknob is.

Thinking about it, I can’t think of any graffiti or tagging I’ve ever seen on adverts. But maybe other factors are at play – that adverts are replaced frequently, that they’re slightly out of the way, or maybe that I’m not paying attention. 

But I can’t shake the feeling that it hits a truth about the process. It struck me as a fascinating observation, and presents an interesting insight into the mindset of the perpetrators.

In my previous financially focused post (link) I expressed frustration at how the media continue to misrepresent the perfectly legitimate practice of ’short selling’. As I was watching the news yesterday (with their on-screen live FTSE and DOW figures), and reading the newspapers again this morning, I was reminded that there are further examples of oversights and simplifications in financial reporting, that all go to make me concerned there are few places to go for solid news (Radio 4, Newsnight and Channel 4 news, largely).

One example is, perhaps, well known. It’s the reporting of the FTSE 100 index figure as some generic financial indicator. Remember, this is just a selected index of a basket of equities (ie. stocks), and it is adjusted over time. Whilst it constitutes about 80% of the total value of the FTSE shares, it is still an equity indicator, and a general purpose one at that. It’s of interest as many people invest in FTSE-100 trackers. Personally I prefer a FTSE-All Share tracker.

In the context of the ‘credit crunch’, equities are not really a particularly good indicator. Whilst it’s clear that share values fluctuates, it doesn’t in itself show very much about the underlying problem that faces financial institutions. Let’s not forget too that in times of doubt there is always a flight of money from equities to fixed income products and commodities (particularly gold). When people sell their equity investments in large numbers, share prices naturally drop (a surfeit of sellers), and it’s likely to see ’safer’ investment values rise (due to limited availability; commodities need digging/drilling!). Just compare the graph for last months gold price, particularly it’s big spike in September 2008, and last months stock market indicator graphs.

Oil prices are an interesting case – they were a solid investment earlier this year – it was doing nothing but rise – but with the doubt and fear about a global recession, oil prices drop over fears about reduced demand. A good thing too, clearly, as the knock-on effect on heating bills has serious consequences for societies most vulnerable members. But let’s forget the halcyon days of less than $25 barrel oil – many of the oil-rich Gulf states are funding huge investments on the basis of (relatively) high (>$75) oil prices. I for one was not in the least bit surprised by the news in early September that OPEC were cutting production. Let us not also remember oil is priced in US$, so as the US$-Sterling rate falls, so oil price rises for us. But it’s not really been mentioned in the media that oil prices are safely below $100 at the moment: It’s been ignored due to other financial events.

So share price drops are inevitable in days of doubt. Investors seek safer shores. In today’s Guardian it’s reported that is also happening with people’s savings, as they move from perceived ‘at risk’ banks to National Savings products and other government backed savings accounts. You’d almost think that the financial professionals are people too! On a side note, the term ‘Masters of the Universe’ used a lot at the moment (in reference to financial high-flyers) comes from The Bonfire of the Vanities, rather than the children’s cartoon series.

Equities are a good indicator of confidence, and the massive dives in recent weeks indicate the failing confidence. The problem was exacerbated, in my mind at least, by an inept US President. By making the announcement that something of that scale was planned so far in advance, expectations were set. Financial institutions felt the cavalry was coming. So when Congress refused to pass the bill in it’s proposed form, expectations were shattered, and confidence plunged.

The other key word is volatility. Prices are moving about as much as they are as investors take differing views on insufficient, inaccurate, incorrect information. Throw in a healthy dose of fear, and you’ve everything you need. One figure that seems to be missing from public resources is traded volume. Prices are naturally volatile when volumes are lower (fewer people competing to sell/buy assets), and I’m curious to find out how traded volume compares in September, with that of previous months or years. Although I suspect the confidence figures remain the dominant factor here.

But as far as measuring the ‘credit crunch’, it’s LIBOR (London Interbank Offer Rate) that’s king. These are the rates at which banks lend to each other over various periods of time. The credit crunch is all about this lending drying up, represented by spikes in the rate, which is normally closer to the Bank of England interest rate. Just yesterday the overnight rate hit 6.87%, compared to the 5% for the Bank of England. This rate is finally getting reported more often by the serious media, but it’s still difficult to find on market data websites.

As we all know the Credit Crunch is about banks not lending to each other, at least without a prohibitive premium. For the ‘real economy’ that means borrowing of any sort are going to be more difficult. As such borrowed money – vital in the short-term – dries up, we can expect to see in the coming months businesses struggling to find money to help them grow, invest or simply get through a difficult patch. When cash runs out, for whatever reason, businesses fail, and jobs start to go. If the complete grid-lock in the finance sector isn’t eased soon, the bad news from successful businesses will start to grow in numbers. Sadly it’s a delayed consequence, which doesn’t sit well with the 24 hours news cycle that seems to demand cause-and-effect to be observable.

So if you want a figure that indicates how the credit crunch is affecting lending, LIBOR is the one to look to. If you want an indicator of confidence and fear, the FTSE figures. Whilst confidence remains so low, and the US government struggles to find the rescue package it needs, I’d expect prices to remain volatile, and many valuable commodities, will rise.

But it’s not all bad news. If, like me, you’re some years away from retirement, take the pragmatic view that lower prices can make for a good buying opportunity. A complete economic meltdown is unlikely as fundamentals are, I think, still quite sound and the crises is still solvable if fingers are extracted and US politicians get a grip and stop playing, er, politics. But look to the other figures for a better indication of what’s going on. It’s certainly not all about what the FTSE or DOW is doing day to day.