Top 10 in Swindon:

“You’re going to swell up like a tick.”
–Work mate when he heard about the Chippy Challenge.

“No, he did the same thing with kebabs, last year…he’ll be fine.”
–Another colleague, in response.

Actually, I lost weight, starting the year at 178 lbs (12 stone 10 or, for the metric-minded, 81 kg) and spending most of the last 6 months dead on 154 lbs (11 stone even or 70 kg).  This was grand, as I drank more this year than usual and ran only about the normal amount (maybe even less than, but I haven’t tallied the runs yet).  I would highly recommend this diet at least to those who normally live on the 2013: Year of Kebabs Diet.  I’m looking forward to seeing what drifting back toward normal alcohol and food intake will do to the weight.

Of the 126 qualifying meals, 75 were at a chippy, 40 in a pub, 3 at the house, 1 at a Dutch fish stand, and 7 others (cafes and dining halls).

I didn’t travel much this year so geographically they are pretty tightly clustered around home and work. I nailed a couple in mainland Europe and a few down at the southern coast, as well, but I had 36 each in Oxford or Swindon so I have favourites in those two localities.

1 tie	York Road Chippy
1 tie	The Frying Fish
3	Trident Fish Bar
4	Britz Fish and Chips
5	Mr. Cod
6	Bobby’s Fish and Chips
7	Gill’s Fish Bar
8	Pinehurst Fisheries
9	J&J Fish Bar
10	Wong Kee Fish Bar

 

Top 3 in Oxford (Chippies in Oxford are generally shit, but seek these out):

1	Carfax Fish and Chips
2	Mediterranean Fish Bar (the one in Marston)
3	Three Goats’ Heads (pub, but very good)

 

The 5 most dreadful:

-1	Treasure Chinese Takeaway	Shrivenham, Oxfordshire
-2	Simon’s Fish & Chips	Oxford, Oxfordshire
-3	Seafoods	Bath, Somerset
-4	Covingham Fish and Chips	Swindon, Wiltshire
-5	Posh Fish Jericho	Oxford, Oxfordshire

Best 5 of the rest:

1	Baker’s Arms (best pub F&C this year)	Badbury, Wiltshire
2	Stotesbury’s Fish and Chips	Newport, Isle of Wight
3	South Cerney Fish and Chips	South Cerney, Gloucestershire
4	Robinson’s Traditional Fish and Chips	Bowerhill, Wiltshire
5	Market Plaice	Devizes, Wiltshire

 

 

 

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[The Chippy Challenge: to eat more fish and chips in 2014; see original post for details.]

Fish: cod
Sides: none
Evaluation: Light but flavourful crust, large piece of perfectly cooked fish…on a cold day while sweat rapidly dries 8 miles into a 10 mile run there’s nothing more welcome.
Days since last: (Six Bells, Oxford)

Map link.

Monthly consolidations/compilations: January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November

 

 

 

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[The Chippy Challenge: to eat more fish and chips in 2014; see original post for details.]

Fish: dunno
Sides: chips
Evaluation: Chips and fish from the freezer.  This place does a decent kebab, though.  When you’ve been out drinkin’ and need sustenance, you do what you gotta do (and I needed a fish and chips as it has been 7 days since the last one); the kebab was really tempting, though.
Days since last: 7 (WingLoon, Oxford)

Map link.

Monthly consolidations/compilations: January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October

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Looking back, Year 5 was busier than I remember but not especially productive. Work is about where I left it at the Year 4 post but there has been no slippage, so that’s good. This post, however, is just another annual consolidation of random ‘highlights,’ for lack of a more appropriate term. The photos here are mostly leftovers from graffiti, sidewalk pies, or bits around the neighbourhood or work.

New Morrison’s (white frame) and cinema/restaurant complex (grey) at bottom of Prospect Hill 100m from the house in the new retail development.

I cleared some of the backlog of old t-shirts out of my pile of rags, but then printed shirts for my imaginary liqueur plant and traded them for others…treading water, zero-sum-game. The liqueurs are NOT fake, though, and quite nice in general.

Pavement pizza project…this one spotted near the Roaring Donkey in Septmenber

We moved house from Ferndale Road to Eastcott area of Old Town and, at the bottom of the hill the construction effort has been trundling along well enough. Our locals, the Beehive and the Castle, seem healthy although the Prince of Wales re-opened and closed during the course of the year.

It was a slack year for running despite projects to keep it interesting, like the Swindon Orienteering Challenge and my own efforts to hit every path in Old Town. Including several races and [of course] more of the pub crawl — often during the races — I managed about 1860 miles, down from a more typical 2000 to 2200…but I’m old and creaky. And, creepy.  The pub count only increased by 134 but we spent a lot more time in some fine ones we visited previously.

Travel was entirely in England this year but we managed to make the Isle of Wight and I got to see the bustling metropolis that is Hemel Hempstead.

Christmas and New Year were low-key affairs and what you might otherwise expect. We tried very hard to develop gout, as usual, and somehow failed. This could be the year!

One project for the calendar year 2013 was the Kebab Challenge, a variation on the Burger Challenge and that led me to eschew kebabs for a while in favour of fish and chips. As the residence year overlaps the calendar year, I should mention that I have also started another project that involves a different adult beverage each day with a daily caption in the form of a haiku (something I did for a couple of months in Year 1).

So, there you have it. Year 6 begins.

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I weaseled into the 2012 Challenge (100 Yellow Beers in 100 Places) because it involved beer and then, quite drunk at the end of that year, decided to mock the 2013 Challenge (50 Burgers in 50 Places) because it didn’t involve beer. I also wanted to mock the other participants because, as fat Americans tend to do, they threw themselves into the gorging challenge with the gusto Brits plunge into drinking contests.  [Is it any wonder I’m trading up from the blue to the red covered passport?]

However, as burgers are particularly shitty in England (the few that aren’t are far too pricey to justify) I requested a substitute dining experience: the kebab. I have been hooked on the spitted elephant leg of spiced meat (I hope it’s meat, anyway) ever since my post-doc years in Amsterdam — in Holland, look for a ‘shoarma’ place to get a decent kebab: they usually aren’t to far from the coffee shop you wake up in.

I was aware that even my unhealthy lifestyle might be challenged by attacking this task too eagerly — to eat 50 of the dreadful things in 50 different places in a year — so I set a pace of one per week (with the option for a bonus kebab here and there) to ensure I finished well on the distant side of the goal line. A kpw (see one of the posts for an explanation) shouldn’t be too hard, should it? But, the pace was toxic and I have been looking forward to a break from this effort for months, now, and may not have another ‘bab before summer now that it’s over. I still enjoy them and have a good database started of who serves a decent one but enough is enough.

So, it may come as a surprise that I am continuing the street-foodie effort into 2014 not so much as part of “Wiley and Brownie’s Annual Challenge” but more due to my own OCD issues. Therefore, 2014 will be the year of Fish and Chips, with special efforts made to visit any with amusing names (such as A Salt and Batter-y, Frying Nemo, or the Codfather). Cod, haddock, pollock, what-have-you as long as it used to swim before it got battered and deep fried…at least one every seven days (minimum 52, probably closer to 100), no repeat venues, a brief report here and add the place to a Fish and Chips map (like the Kebab map that started with the 2013 Challenge, below):

The map so far

Oxford area (near enough to work)

Swindon (near enough the house)

2013 Kebab List:

#	Name	Town	County	Date
1	ZamZam	Swindon	Wiltshire	01 January 2013
2	Kebab Kid	Oxford	Oxfordshire	08 January 2013
3	Westway Chippy	Oxford	Oxfordshire	14 January 2013
4	Falafel House	Oxford	Oxfordshire	17 January 2013
5	Bread Basket	Swindon	Wiltshire	22 January 2013
DNC: chicken	One Minute Food House	Faringdon	Oxfordshire	25 January 2013
6	Branos Express	Oxford	Oxfordshire	28 January 2013
7	Marmaris Kebabs	Swindon	Wiltshire	02 February 2013
8	Keskins	Chippenham	Wiltshire	08 February 2013
9	Old Town Kebab House	Swindon	Wiltshire	16 February 2013
10	Bodrum Kebab House	Oxford	Oxfordshire	27 February 2013
11	Calne Charcoal Grill	Calne	Wiltshire	02 March 2013
12	The Kebab House	Devizes	Wiltshire	03 March 2013
13	King’s Best Barbeque	Swindon	Wiltshire	12 March 2013
14	Gorsehill Grill	Swindon	Wiltshire	16 March 2013
15	Caner’s Kebab Stand	Swindon	Wiltshire	25 March 2013
16	Meli Greek Cafe	Oxford	Oxfordshire	04 April 2013
17	Bodrum Fish Bar	Oxford	Oxfordshire	10 April 2013
18	The Rainbow Takeaway	Faringdon	Oxfordshire	18 April 2013
19	Cirencester Best Kebab	Cirencester	Gloucestershire	24 April 2013
20	Magic Kebab House	Swindon	Wiltshire	30 April 2013
21	Best Food 2000	Faringdon	Oxfordshire	08 May 2013
22	Yummy’s Kebab	Swindon	Wiltshire	18 May 2013
23	Sammy’s Kebab	Cricklade	Wiltshire	25 May 2013
24	Flames Kebab	Trowbridge	Wiltshire	30 May 2013
25	Hassan Kebab Van	Oxford	Oxfordshire	05 June 2013
26	Sammy’s Kebab and Burger	Swindon	Wiltshire	08 June 2013
27	Oscar Grill	Royal Wootton Bassett	Wiltshire	15 June 2013
28	The Brothers Kebab House	Swindon	Wiltshire	19 June 2013
29	Istanbul Kebab House	Didcot	Oxfordshire	26 June 2013
30	Flavour Café	Kidlington	Oxfordshire	04 July 2013
31	Nemrut	Southsea	Hampshire	06 July 2013
32	Newroz	Swindon	Wiltshire	13 July 2013
33	our garden (homemade)	Swindon	Wiltshire	16 July 2013
34	Pewsey Pizza and Kebab	Pewsey	Wiltshire	20 July 2013
35	Poseiden	Oxford	Oxfordshire	01 August 2013
36	LB Lebanese Cuisine	Oxford	Oxfordshire	07 August 2013
37	Southmoor Kebab Stand	Southmoor	Oxfordshire	13 August 2013
38	Fat Friar	Batheaston	Somerset	21 August 2013
39	Pizza and Kebab Hut	Oxford	Oxfordshire	30 August 2013
40	Best Burritoz	Swindon	Wiltshire	06 September 2013
41	Curry Cottage	Swindon	Wiltshire	10 September 2013
42	Diamond Kebab	Gloucester	Gloucestershire	20 September 2013
43	Ruchi	Swindon	Wiltshire	24 September 2013
44	Reg’s Kebab	Chippenham	Wiltshire	04 October 2013
45	Moredon Charcoal Grill	Swindon	Wiltshire	09 October 2013
46	Botley Road Kebab Stand	Oxford	Oxfordshire	16 October 2013
47	Chick-O-Land	Devizes	Wiltshire	20 October 2013
48	Highworth Kebab Grill	Highworth	Wiltshire	30 October 2013
49	Baran	Kentish Town	London	02 November 2013
50	Kebab Point	Hemel Hempstead	Hertfordshire	08 November 2013
51	Jimmy’s Kebab Stand	Swindon	Wiltshire	16 November 2013
52	Ahmed’s Kebab Van	Oxford	Oxfordshire	26 November 2013
53	Fairford Kebab and Pizza	Fairford	Gloucestershire	30 November 2013
54	Ali’s Kebab Van	Oxford	Oxfordshire	05 December 2013
55	Kebab and Pizza House	Marlborough	Wiltshire	14 December 2013
56	Korky’s Takeaway	Swindon	Wiltshire	24 December 2013
57	Posh Nosh	Oxford	Oxfordshire	28 December 2013

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[*kpw = kebab per week for 2013, as noted in an earlier post and the 57th entry for the 2013 Challenge and, note…I shall explain the 53 week year below†.]

This is how the 2013 Challenge Ends, not with a whimper but with a crappy döner and chips.  It’s not as greasy as the photo looks but the chilli sauce is bland (good structure but no flavour) and the meat was incredibly salty.  For £4.50 I would have liked some of the veg, too, but that’s probably why the other stands were crowded and this one wasn’t.  Happy New Year, though.  Taking a break from the kebab for a while….

===================================================

†Brief Explanation of the 53 Week Year just completed

      “Kebab Per Week” was a bit of a misnomer from the start as I counted the week from Saturday-to-Saturday inclusive, an eight day week that overlaps with the ones before and after so that, technically, I could have two kebabs as many as 15 days apart and still have one per week.  The longest spacing was 10 days, though, and I went over ‘bab quota a few times.

 

     The other issue is that the first and last weeks of 2013 had five and four days, respectively, by that definition, so the year had 51 ‘full’ weeks sandwiched by two short ones.  This way my liberal definition of a week was tempered by a Sharia count of the number of weeks.

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[*kpw = kebab per week for 2013, as noted in an earlier post and the 56th entry for the 2013 Challenge]

The year is winding down and walking home from the bus station after a short day at work I took the opportunity to hit the last of the Town Centre kebaberies, Korky’s Takeaway on Fleet Street.  It was early for them and the pre-Christmas drinking crowds had not yet descended so the guy didn’t much notice I was there while I inspected the sad, damp piles of wilted salads and onions.  This is atypical even in shitty kebab shops, so I didn’t expect much of the sandwich (and shouldn’t according to the inspection report, either)..

Wrong.  It was quite nice.  Gamey, like lamb but more so like mutton, the texture was surprisingly more like meat than chewy connective tissue.  The flavour was that of freshly barbecued slices albeit straight from the steam table.  The chilli sauce was respectably spicy and the tomatoes and chillis (the only veg that didn’t disgust in appearance) were brilliant.  Even the pita from a bargain-sized bag was alright.  [Full disclosure: I had not eaten anything since biscotti at 6 in the morning.]

Cold out, I was ready to head off to a rendezvous at the Beehive but first took my choice of booths to listen to Christmas Carols on the tele while my host returned to his smart phone.  Merry Christmas, everyone.

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[*kpw = kebab per week for 2013, as noted in an earlier post and the 55th entry for the 2013 Challenge]

At the end of a winter loop run along ridges above the River Kennet, I was cold and hungry and lucky to find a kebab stand open (the Kebab and Pizza House which I last visited a few years ago).  Well, I SAY lucky but two hours later I a still chugging iced tea and water trying to lower the salinity of my blood.  But, it was tasty, if not especially good for the blood pressure: the pungent flavours of mutton and, I’m guessing, rotting beef at least indicated meat was a major component and the sauce and veg were good.  Not really worth rushing out to Marlborough for unless you are suffering from hyponatremia.

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[*kpw = kebab per week for 2013, as noted in an earlier post and the 54th entry for the 2013 Challenge]

Across from the Royal Oak on Woodstock Road I was lucky enough to find Ali’s Kebab Van (the link leads to an article about Ali’s relationship with an Oxford college that is quite droll).  It is easily the smallest of the vans I have yet tried and the one with the most retro look.  Friendly guys and very good food although the older fellow forgot the vinegar on the chips (which were, nonetheless, sublime — fluffy within and crisp and sweet on the surfaces).  The chilli sauce cleared my sinuses obstructed by the cold and the pub, the meat was moist but not oily and tasted of proper lamb.  One of the best near the lab.

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[*kpw = kebab per week for 2013, as noted in an earlier post and the 53rd entry for the 2013 Challenge]

I’m always knocked out by Fairford with its medieval layout and ancient buildings (albeit surrounded by modern estates due to the USAF presence at RAF Fairford a mile or so to the south).  It isn’t exactly the sort of place I expected to find a good kebab or bad chips but I was in turn pleasantly surprised and sorely disappointed with my snack from the Fairford Kebab and Pizza house.  The meat was a delight and didn’t sit very heavy (neither fatty nor salty) and the chilli sauce was functional-to-quite-good.  The chips were not nearly so good, though, with about a third of their thickness a polymerised crust of oil from the initial blanching dip in the fryer.  Oh, well, it was cheap and it took the edge off before the run back to Lechlade.

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[*kpw = kebab per week for 2013, as noted in an earlier post and the 52nd entry for the 2013 Challenge]

Wow. When you commit to a long-term project you can grow weary of its demands. With luck, you will be reminded of what made it so compelling in the first place…I had just such a spot of luck tonight with my stop at Ahmed’s Kebab Van.

The chips were just barely caramelized and golden crisp and had to be deadly or at least stroke inducing (as in brain hemorrhage albeit a masturbatory stroke wouldn’t be out of order–yes, THAT good). The meat, not especially pretty, was abundant and just charred enough on the edges to give it a real barbecue flavour and the veg was crisp and wonderful.

Best bit had to be the chilli sauce (which is saying a bit since I already spewed over the chips). Smoky, with the texture of freshly pestled Mexican salsa and enough heat to rate high even outside this bland nation I would go back just for a bottle of it if I thought they would sell it to me. Awesome. Just…plain…awesome.

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[*kpw = kebab per week for 2013, as noted in an earlier post and the 51st entry for the 2013 Challenge]

Jimmy isn’t great but I was into week 47 and I was there, so there you have it.  I’ve visited before, roughly this time last year, but was thoroughly unimpressed for the most part.  Don’t get me wrong, the guys are great (family business, too) but the kebabs are crap (if you need proof, just look at how many Rodbourne-ians are crowded around).  Oh, well, ticked this week’s box, anyway.

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[*kpw = kebab per week for 2013, as noted in an earlier post and the 50th entry for the 2013 Challenge]

Okay…I have hit 28 pubs in the last week (work out-of-town means fresh hunting grounds). I point this out for comparison since it took 46 weeks to minimally complete the 50 Burger Kebab Challenge. This was a stupid and frightfully unhealthy event to participate in and there are still 6 weeks in my greater quest to hit at least one every week this year. Madness.

The fare from Kebab Point was fine but I wouldn’t seek it out again. The meat was dry but the elephant leg it came from had all the appearance of a lard column so drained dry was probably a blessing. The meat was also spiced well and tasted vaguely of lamb so was probably made up less from connective tissue and more from some sort of mammalian meat.

The chilli sauce was brilliant but there could have been more. Veg, as is standard for the great British kebab stand, was amazing and could easily have been a healthy option on its own for a less adventurous diner.

Still, I wish I was finished with the project. But, there is a saying: “always do, after sobering up, what you said you would do while you were drunk.” I could escape this rule on some obvious technicalities, but I believe in the spirit, not letter, of the law. Speaking of spirits, a spot of Turkey might cut through the film this ‘bab has left on my teeth.

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[*kpw = kebab per week for 2013, as noted in an earlier post and the 49th entry for the 2013 Challenge]

We wandered Kentish Town for a while but found nothing but takeaways and we were doubling back to the Westport Inn when we spotted Baran, a Persian restaurant that had an interesting menu and that stipulated you must bring your own bottle. A quick dash across the street to the grocer and we were soon back with a nice Shiraz.

Jackie ordered something with pomegranate, nuts, rice, saffron and chicken but by mistake was served something similar with lamb. The lamb was so perfect, though, she ate the entire platter despite her complete aversion to anything that tastes of lamb (and don’t get me started on her and mutton). I, on the other hand, LOVE lamb. If it had been on the menu I would have had Lamb, Lamb, Lamb, Lamb, Lamb, Lamb, Baked Beans, Egg, and Lamb…with a side of Lamb.

Instead, I had some kebabs, the larger one a lamb steak and the other of minced lamb. This was one of the most sublime meals I have had this year. Baran is out of the way, but it is dirt cheap and worth seeking out…I may go back this week, in fact.

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[*kpw = kebab per week for 2013, as noted in an earlier post and the 48th entry for the 2013 Challenge]

2013, the Year of the Kebab is winding down and with only 8 weeks remaining and a couple of short trips planned it should be easy to make the weekly quota.  Should be easy, but my experience in Stroud last Sunday showed the way the late opening times typical in the genre can ruin the plans.  So, with week 44 still to tick off I opted to make the short trip to Highworth for a post-work run, cider at the Cellar, and kebab at the Highworth Kebab Shop.

The Highworth fellows are quite nice and piled loads of stinky lamb onto crisply carmelised, salt-and-vingared chips for me.  The meat was divine (you actually want it to be a bit gamey) and sauce and veg perfect.  I wandered over to the town centre to change clothes under a tree near the Globe and to tuck into the meal.  A light drizzle started just as I finished…autumn….

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[*kpw = kebab per week for 2013, as noted in an earlier post and the 47th entry for the 2013 Challenge]

There was a Fire Fighter’s “industrial action” (a strike, in American parlance) Saturday night so precautionary actions were urged; for instance, all lab work was suspended in the Chemistry Department during the stoppage. And, Essex Fire and Safety gained international attention with their campaign to minimise incidents related to drunk cooking:

I had already planned on a takeaway for Sunday after the Devizes Half Marathon, so didn’t need the fire brigade’s suggestions. At the Chick-O-Land, not far from my stop for the bus back to Swindon, they piled generous portions smothered in a great — and unusually hot — chilli sauce atop chips that were crisp and caramelized and more than welcome after the rainy run. As the meat portions refried on the griddle a gamy reek of mutton wafted my way promising me a real sheep treat.

I returned to the bus stop to looks of self-righteous scorn from the finishers of the race heading my way. Of course they were well within their rights and may even have felt obligated to cast a disgusted glance at this laggard that shoveled this unhealthy repast down with such abandon — except that this laggard had finished so far ahead of them that he had time to run for a pint 1/2 mile away from the finish, changed clothing on the street while waiting for the pub to open, had another pint on the return trip, and collected this feast after my own finish.  I may not be that healthy, but I’m reasonably fast.

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[*kpw = kebab per week for 2013, as noted in an earlier post and the 46th entry for the 2013 Challenge]

An early evening trot along the canal and river paths revealed a bit of pre-laid trail [tsk] from the night’s Oxford Hash; it also reminded me that I had not eaten since some porridge at breakfast so, famished, I made my way to the  Botley Road Kebab Stand, an old favourite.

The meat was a wee bit rubbery this time around but the veg was a delight and the sauce the best I’ve had in months.  The chips were especially good — crisp and dryer than they appear in the photo (so that they absorbed the salt and vinegar completely as well as most of the excess chilli sauce).  Not exactly perfection but better than I should have expected.

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[*kpw = kebab per week for 2013, as noted in an earlier post and the 45th entry for the 2013 Challenge]

This is a tasty kebab from Moredon Charcoal Grill but first let me tell you of the path to it.  Back in the early days of the Burger Challenge (or, with my waiver, the Kebab Challenge), I scouted some kebab places using Google Maps and found a doozy on Wingate Parade off Northern Road in Swindon, Shapla at the time of the photo but subsequently the Masala Express.  The food might have turned out to be dreadful, but with eye candy like this hanging around on the street I felt I must go:

Google Maps has since driven their Street View Vehicle back down Wingate Parade for an updated view but the neighbourhood seems just as charming (it appears that the Mayor of Swindon recently made a warmly received comment about these folks, as reported in several regional newspapers):

After work and on my way to the G-Had Hash House Harriers site, I zipped in for a lamb donner (as it is spelled in their on-line menu).  “We don’t do lamb donner,” I was brusquely informed.  So, I continued on…

…looking for signs of the trail I knew would be prelaid somewhere nearby and, therefore, making a loop into the Moredon neighbourhood.  Good choice, too, as the meat, while gristly and salty, was flavourful and the homemade chilli sauce was excellent.  The veg, as tends to be the case, was fresh and better than you can probably find in your grocer’s.  I polished this small portion off and returned to the trail hunt finally sated.

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[*kpw = kebab per week for 2013, as noted in an earlier post and the 44th entry for the 2013 Challenge]

I was in Chippenham to run a few miles and hit the Sir Audley Arms, but first I wanted to make a stop at Reg’s Kebab just down the hill from Chippenham Rail Station.  The shop had been recommended by the barmaid at the Pack Horse back when the 50 Burger Challenge was still in its infancy and I have to admit she knows her food-for-drunks.

The Western Arches, a rail bridge, is just around the corner and there was a nice place to sit, enjoy the delicacy, and watch the traffic in its shadows.  The meat had more structure than many plops of döner I’ve inflicted on myself lately and the veg was fresh and crunchy.  The entire meal weighed in at just over a pound (this was a “small”) and slowed my pace quite a bit.

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[*kpw = kebab per week for 2013, as noted in an earlier post and the 43rd entry for the 2013 Challenge]

 

With Jackie ill there was no one to make the run to the butcher this day, and we weren’t pleased with the prospect of buying flesh at the supermarket for the first time in three years so takeaway became the default choice.  Fortunately, Ruchi was nearby and they are always quite good.

The kebab for this week, then, is the Ruchi mixed kebab from the starter menu, the small tray above that large pot of lamb vindaloo.  It contains a portion each of sheek and shami, and it is perfectly spiced right out of the foil cup but comes with a plastic bag full of salad and a cup of chopped onions (all of which I eventually dumped into the vindaloo).  While the order cooked, I dashed out to the off-license and picked up a bottle of wine suitable for Jackie’s chicken sagwalla and a couple of cold lagers for the spicy curry.

Normally we would get this delivered but it is only a three minute walk and Chelsea FC was in town to give Swindon Town FC a mild thrashing (eventually knocking them out of the Cup 2-0) I reckoned deliveries would be fairly slow.  For my we effort I was rewarded with a 10% discount and some chocolates.  I love Ruchi.