Bully Beef

This was the nickname for the corned beef served to the British Army – particularly during the Boer War and WW1. The name is apparently a corruption of the French boeuf bouilli [boiled beef] “Corned” beef is beef which has been preserved by salt-curing [corn being the Old English word for small hard particles or grains]

Scarlet [Tales from beyond the Nook] has a post about corned beef today – and how expensive it seems now – it always used to be a pantry staple. Corned beef and pickle sandwiches, corned beef hash, corned beef and potato pasties…if you had a tin in the cupboard, you could always produce a cheap supper.

I had a craze for cb and pickle sandwiches last year, and bought some of the Sainsbury’s Basic Slices. But when I checked out the prices on their website today, I have to agree with Scarlet, they have increased [as have many of our foodstuffs] But a ‘special offer’ flagged up, and I thought I’d post a picture

I love the slogan! These slices of cb are from Red Lion Foods, and you can read all about them here.

Red Lion Foods is a different sort of food company. It believes most people want to say thank you everyday to the UK armed forces and their families. 100 per cent of post-tax profits go to the UK armed forces charities and causes.

It strikes me as quite appropriate that this food, part of the Army’s Menu Plans for so many years, is now helping those who have been injured and disabled whilst on active service.

Apparently the company name was inspired by this WW1 recruitment poster.

Some of the WW! propaganda posters were amazing. They did all they could to get men out to the trenches…

Most people have forgotten Lord Roberts now [hero of India, Afghanistan and the 2nd Boer Campaign] I only know about him because my grandmother moved to “Lord Robert’s Avenue” and Dad took me down to the library to check him out [we didn’t have Google back in the Dark Ages!]

The thought of all these little men from Stroud marching off to war in one battalion is quite strange, isn’t it?

I thought the recent depiction of trench warfare in ‘Downton Abbey’ has been really well done.  I am enjoying this series enormously [I have to record it though, Sunday Night is ‘Spooks’ Night!]