So, one of the Germans – Aldi, Lidl, whichever – was selling water buffalo milk butter. Got some to try it. Just did so.
Tasted very like a weak mozzarella.
That it took me a long time to work out why this was likely is a good gauge of how stupid I can be……
D’oh!
The fact that the clever people who run Aldi/Lidl decided it was worth stocking shows how much the squeezed middle classes now patronise stores which 5 years ago they would have used as the punchline to an after-dinner joke.
As RAB says, the key to shopping at Lidl and Aldi is to pack everything in Waitrose bags.
Years ago I was in the queue at a cash till at Sainsbury’s. The American behind me took a keen interest in my purchases. He goggled a little at my goats milk. “Is that good?” he demanded to know (politely – clearly not a New Yorker). “Dunno” says I “I’ve never bought it before. But I know it makes good cheese.”
“Yes” he said contemplatively and vanished back into the scrum to get some for himself.
I go to Waitrose and use Lidl and ALDI bags.
“Tasted very like a weak mozzarella.”
It’s all the water in the buffalo.
Out of interest, what do you use goats milk for, dearieme? I’ve kept goats & can’t imagine a use for it. It makes tea & coffee taste disgusting. I do like goats milk cheese. But the number of goats required & the chore of making it, less trouble to buy it.
Don’t mind eating the things but it’s a bit of an acquired taste. We kept ’em as brush cutters. When they didn’t wander off. Basically, if goat’s an important part of your diet, you’re a peasant.
The goats milk was an experiment – to be tried in tea, coffee, cocoa, Horlicks, muesli, yoghurt-making, swigging by the glass, whatever.
We’ve not continued with it.
At least we’ve never been daft enough to experiment with skimmed milk or semi-skimmed.
BiS, Well-known milk replacement when the babbie can’t handle the cow stuff. The adult use is either as cheese or fermented into yoghurt ( insert suitably applicable local name).
The stuff is on the shelves for exactly that reason..Babbies. It’s just that the Fashionistas have taken to the stuff in one of their harebrained attempts at Virtue Signalling.
Yeah, so much stuff produced for people who are *ill*, and is snapped up as a fashion. They’ll be drinking cough medicine next as a tonic or summut. It happened to Lucazade and gluton-free baked goods, I expect it will happen to my proton pump inhibiter soon. “But I *like* the taste of crushed chalk flavoured with modified bezene rings.”
At least we’ve never been daft enough to experiment with skimmed milk or semi-skimmed…
Used to drink raw milk straight from the urn when we were kids. Nowadays, however, I find whole milk unbelievably rich, sweet. While Mrs G. uses buttermilk for baking we favour semi-skimmed for everyday use. Probably just as well, given we get through 14 pints/week between the two of us.
I only take milk with my breakfast cereal and that’s full fat. I’ve recently had cause to get a series of blood tests and my cholesterol is high. As this was the least of my problems I said I’d have a go at diet change before even more pills.
Normally I would last until lunchtime before needing to eat again, but after switching to semi skimmed I found myself playing hunt the biscuit box by 11:30. Sod that for a game of soldiers, back to full fat and I’ll take pot luck on chore stop for now.
jgh
glutton-free baked goods!
BiND: on high cholesterol consult the books of Malcolm Kendrick.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?i=stripbooks&rh=p_27%3ADr+Malcolm+Kendrick&s=relevancerank&text=Dr+Malcolm+Kendrick&ref=dp_byline_sr_book_1
My cholesterol is tickety-boo and still the GP wanted me to take statins. Pah!
I did a health check at the surgery a while ago and although my cholesterol was only a smidgen over the arbitrary limit the nurse offered me statins. I politely declined.
As for milk, having got used to semi-skimmed I now find full fat a bit rich. However I recognise the mid-morning ginger snap moment…
I no longer like goats cheese, though I used to like it decades ago. A visit to one of these petting farms when the kids were young and the strong goat smell then has put me off for life. Sad, really, as in the Canaries recently the local food has a lot of goats cheese. Almogrote is made from it, and for one meal we had something that looked just like halloumi with palm honey. It was softer than halloumi though.
Thanks dearime, I’ll have a look at them. Like TG I’ve been offered statins in the past by my GP and to be fair to him when I declined he sort of agreed.
The problem that triggered the blood tests was a episode (right word?) of occular migrane and when I measured my BP it was off the chart. I’m now on BP tables and working with the doc to find the right treatment which isn’t easy given the other problem they found.
The other problem was when I had the bloods I asked them to check my PSA, which I know is an imperfect marker but better then nothing, and that was found to be above normal and rising on the 2nd test. An MRI scan found something odd inside my prostate and I get the biopsy results tomorrow. As they’re calling me on my mobile I’m hoping its nothing serious and at worst I’ll be tested regularly, as I was for bowel cancer.
BiND: I’ve had a couple of prostate biopsies which both found cancerous cells but a MRI scan showed nothing. I’ve been on active management for a few years but my PSA is level around the 5 mark so they’ve said bye-bye with the active management. It’s up to me to request PSA tests now, it seems, as the GP surgery never gave me a tug when they should have. Note that as you get older the test threshold rises so a rising PSA within the threshold is not necessarily a bad indicator. However once my tests start rising I will be agitating for another MRI.
Thanks for the advice TG.
I’ll see what they have to say but I’m planning on getting regular PSA tests either way. I appreciate its not the level but the direction and rate of travel that is the best, albeit imperfect, indicator.
Am totally chicken when it comes to tests of any description and will no doubt one day be carried into the operating theatre (or morgue) still refusing to take my fingers from my ears. Hate hospitals and the only thing I ever want to hear from my doctor – hopefully many years from now – it that I’ve just one week to live and that I should get my affairs in order. Paid for a health check last year as our GP has all but given up providing any meaninful service and was shocked to be awarded a metabolic age some 15yrs below my chronological age. Given my past lifestyle I don’t believe a word of it but it made me smile for a couple of seconds. Am the same age as Phil Collins and, having seen his perform a while back, appear to be in much better nick that he is. Fingers crossed, as they say…
Water buffalo butter is good but not that exciting. I wish that Lidl would stock Kaymak. This is a Turkish clotted cream made from the same rich milk. It is often served for breakfast with honey and bread.
Is it time to recycle this classic?
https://www.varusteleka.com/en/product/kalakalle-fish-cock-182-g-canned/27360
Chlorestorol:
Try a high fibre diet – plenty of fruit and (preferably raw) veg, but add OAT BRAN. Keep eating healthy fats, though.
Prostate cancer/PSA
I had prostate cancer for 12 years (with a PSA that reached 29) then I had radiotherapy in 2022. My reflections:
1. If you are seeing a urologist, ask to see an oncologist – and vice-versa. My urologist pressed me to go for surgery ASAP 12 years ago; my oncologist counselled watch-and-wait…
2. Don’t be rushed into invasive treatments, unless your life is at risk.
3. Most MRI scans cannot find a prostate tumour under 0.5cm in diameter
4. The prostate can harbour cancer cells like currants in a bun, raising PSA,but…
5. …unless a measureable tumour is close to the prostate capsule, cancer cells are unlikely to migrate, though check with your oncologist…
6. Both surgery and RT result in dry ejaculation. My reading of the evidence suggests that the side-effects – eg ED, urinary incontinence- are more likely from surgery than from RT.
7. A year later, I’m fine. No ED, no urinary problems. 98% cure rate with RT, but 10% increase in bowel cancer risk. PSA = 0.3.
8. Happy to discuss. Ask Tim for my email.
Thanks Theo, some useful advice, especially about the oncologist.
I already have a very health diet, apart from the booze, but will bear that in mind and you’re offer of more help.