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Potato Diaries
4th January
It’s Thursday, Potato Thursday.
Today Sean was faced with an agonising dilemma caused by the absence of Thomas and Rob. The ‘band of brothers’ (and co workers) had been hit by the scary sounding ‘norovirus’, meaning Potato Thursday was on the brink – could Sean carry the torch alone?
In desperation (and with thoughts of his favourite Bolognese and cheese topping) Sean turned to his other fellow co-workers.
Was the Potato Thursday tradition to be continued this week, could it survive the absence of two of its founding members?
The answer was a resounding yes as both Selessia and I stepped up to the mark to support our colleagues.
We braved the bitter wind and headed to the spud van. After a little banter with the potato men we left the van happy clutching our potato boxes and plastic cutlery. Once back in the office we opened our joyous packages to survey the contents. The toppings chosen this week were Bolognese and cheese x 2 and tuna with mixed peppers – a cold choice made by Selessia.
In all honesty on opening the box the potato and topping was a bit of a shock – it was definitely not a looker (bolognese and cheese understandably)!! However, the potatoes were deemed a success by all involved and left us feeling a little full and sleepy for a Thursday afternoons work.
Hopefully next week Potato Thursday can resume as normal and who knows Selessia and I may continue to participate in this office tradition…
21st Jan
It’s Thursday, Potato Thursday.
I’ve never been more afraid. After last weeks potato we headed back from the pool room to the spud van restless with nervous energy. Would the cheese be as stringy as last week? Was the slightly unusual tuna a one-off?
We placed our order – 2 chilli and cheese, 1 bolognaise and cheese. Hot toppings all round.
I’ll never forget the walk back to the office, holding the warm plasticine container. Would it contain joy? Or bitter, bitter disappointment.
You may well be relieved to hear that the cheese was in fact less stringy than the week before (no news on the tuna – Sean went for a hot topping). We confidently agreed that it was still not back to it’s normal standard, however it certainly did the job.
The potato van has earnt itself another Thursday.
14th Jan
It’s Thursday, Potato Thursday.
There is something rotten in the state of Woking. (A Hamlet reference for those of you who appreciate the finer things in life… Shakespeare & Potatoes).
We ventured out into the cold, dark, January afternoon: it’s 13:25. There’s a painfully cold bite to the air and the ground is blanketed in thick, gritty sludge. The three-strong ‘band of brothers’ (and co-workers) – never deterred by weather conditions – demonstrate their unwavering determination: they go and place their potato order.
I treat myself to a welcoming classic: beans and cheese.
Sean goes with ‘old-reliable’: tuna and sweetcorn.
Bro goes for the warming, tomatoey gem: Bolognese and cheese.
We get back to the office unscathed and sit down at our desks with high hopes to enjoy what should have been the highlight of an otherwise bland day. I take the first bite… (Cliff-hanger)
(I urge myself to continue…)
The cheese was stringy. We’re talking really stringy. With a proper knife and fork, not too much of a problem, but with a plastic “here’s your cutlery, napkin, salt and pepper” fork we’ve got a cheese-based catastrophe on our hands.
Sean had his own complaints too: dodgy tuna perhaps? Only time will tell…
‘Every Cloud…’ My beans were, as always, top-notch, as was Bro’s Bolognese.
All in all, Thursday was a disappointment – which is a pity because I haven’t said that since Thursday became Potato Thursday back in 2009. Maybe in 2010 Thursday should be… different…
5th January
It’s Thursday. Potato Thursday.
And it’s 2010.
What a start to the year – snow everywhere. An icy path to the potato van, which welcomed us with it’s warm, comforting glow. Standard choices – I went for a beef bolognaise, Sean (in 2009 fashion) went for the Tuna and Sweetcorn.
For the first time in living memory it was too cold to sit outside to eat spud, so we headed back to the office. As we turned to head back it started to snow again – surely a sign of dissapointment from the Potato Gods.
17th December
It’s Thursday. Potato Thursday.
This was without doubt the sternest test for even the most avid Potato eaters. Snow was falling. There was an icy edge to the air. The only thing that could possibly warm the heart enough to brave the elements was, of course, a mighty potato. You’ll be pleased to hear we weren’t disappointed.
This week I stayed true to Beef Bolognaise with cheese, Bro went for the consistently under-rated yet superb Chilli and cheese while Paul and Sean capped off 2009 with a fine Tuna Sweetcorn. A truly marvellous display of potato versatility.
Topic of the day to accompany such culinary delights was how to bring potatoes to the masses and we decided upon the medium of song to deliver our message. Several attempts to incorporate ‘Potato’ in Christmas songs ensued, until I found inspiration in the 12 different potato toppings available… that’s right… the ‘The 12 Potatoes of Christmas’.
In no time we had a 1st and 2nd verse and later completed the final lyrics ready for production.
We look forward to seeing you all next Thursday at 1pm for a Christmas Eve rendition of the new song outside the Potato van.
10th December 2009
It’s Thursday. Potato Thursday.
What a day. This could well have been the finest Potato Thursday in a long time. I went back to the old faithful – beef bolognaise and cheese, and I couldn’t have made a better choice. Delicious.
Sean, Paul and Bro also happy – good spuds all round. Paul mentioned desert, which inevitably resulted in a stream of terrible puns. It was sweet for a while, but quickly became a trifle tedious.
To top it off a really hot blonde girl appears at the potato van, and places an order for a tuna and mixed pepper potato. Classy choice. I won’t even mention the girl who ordered chicken curry and coleslaw… I mean honestly…
I look forward to seeing you all at the potato van next Thursday. I recommend the beef bolognaise.
3rd December 2009
It’s Thursday. Potato Thursday.
In the end I couldn’t talk about what happened last week. The pain is still too near. This week there was no potato – we were out at meetings. I only hope when we show up next week the spud man still remembers to give us an extra large potato.
26th November 2009
It’s Thursday. Potato Thursday.
I headed down to the potato van with Sean, Paul and Bro. We lingered at the level crossing, waiting for the green man despite the lack of traffic, giving us extra time to consider our options. I’d been toying with the idea of something new. For 3 weeks now I’ve gone for the beef bolognaise and cheese – classic hot topping. Rich sauce, lovely little mushrooms, melted cheese – it’s an easy choice. A safe choice. But I was after more.
We got as far as HSBC. The wind was picking up and I realised there was no cash in my wallet. No worries – extra thinking time. By the time we reached the potato van I’d made up my mind – I was after something special, something new. Then I saw it. Chicken and bacon! Genius! And with cheese? I think so! A little banter with the potato man, salt and pepper? Yes please.
20 seconds later the four of us had got four potatoes and a prime seat outside the spud van. Interested to hear what happens next? [cliffhanger]