Mancunian

I agree, I was brought up to believe that you cannot say you do not like any food until you have tried it. But to be fair, there are some regional 'delicacies' in the world that I don't think I could try.

I think you will enjoy it. A lot of people do until they know what it is made of.

I know that when you look at the ingredients it sounds disgusting, but it really is very tasty and popular in many parts of the UK. The recipe varies slightly depending on the region you are in and the manufacturer if you buy it ready-made (almost all people buy it ready-made). It is the same with white pudding.

Just for @Albert1434 and @Page Scrawler, the recipe for white pudding;- Ingredients 395gm Pork Shoulder (with plenty of fat) 265gm Medium Oatmeal 250gm Water 30gm Onion 23gm Potato Flour 15gm Salt 18gm Seasoning Mix – see below Seasoning Mix 5gm White pepper 5gm Ground coriander 5gm Ground ginger 5gm Powdered sage 3gm Mace 3gm Nutmeg 2gm Allspice Only 18gm of this mix is used in the sausage above. Method Soak the oatmeal in the water for 1 hour or so. Grind the meat and onion through the fine plate of a mincer, I used a 5mm plate. Then add all the other ingredients and mix well. The sausage meat will be on the stiff side. Stuff into large pigs’ casings and poach them at 75°C – 80°C for 1 minute per mm of the width of the sausage. The final internal temperature of the sausage should be 72°C. Hold at this temperature for 2 minutes then cool in ice-cold water. To eat, slice crossways into 5 – 10mm slices and fry until brown.

I'll check what the ingredients are, then @Page Scrawler can let us know.

At one time a full English included kidney too. And in Ireland, they substitute black pudding with white pudding.

I haven't caught up on my notifications yet but I will. Oh, and can I have the full English please, lol.

To be more accurate, the main ingredient is pigs blood, if you fancy trying to make it here's the recipe;- Recipe information Yield Makes about 3 pounds Ingredients 4 cups fresh pig's blood 2 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 1/2 cups steel-cut (pinhead) oatmeal 2 cups finely diced pork fat (or beef suet), finely chopped 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped 1 cup milk 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon ground allspice Preparation Step 1 1 Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease 2 glass loaf pans. (If you don't have glass loaf pans, line metal loaf pans with parchment to keep the blood sausage from reacting with the metal and creating an off-flavor.) Stir 1 teaspoon of salt into the blood. Step 2 2 Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil and stir in the oats. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, until just tender, not mushy. Step 3 3 Pour the blood through a fine sieve into a large bowl to remove any lumps. Stir in the fat, onion, milk, pepper, allspice and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Add the oatmeal and mix to combine. Divide the mixture between the loaf pans, cover with foil, and bake for 1 hour, until firm. Cool completely. Seal in plastic wrap and wither freeze for extended use or store in the refrigerator for up to a week. Step 4 4 To serve, either cut a slice about 1/2-inch thick off the loaf. Fry in butter or oil until the edges are slightly crisped and browned. Or if you prefer, cut a slice and eat it straight from the fridge, there is no need to cook it.

That saying is still in use today, @Gary L, and is still as true as when your Nan used it.

This is a fairly low-key chapter compared to previous chapters, it reflects the sad feelings of Ben and Tim with Samantha and Guy not being around. I'm guessing it's harder for Ben as Samantha only calls occasionally, but has he not realised he could phone her? Guy and Tim appear to have it figured out better, Guy calls most days and Tim returns those calls on others, although occasionally they do miss a day due to Tim's work or Guy's dad. What is Jonathon thinking? Just because he saw Guy and Tim holding hands doesn't mean he can hit on Tim when Guy isn't around. It could be a dangerous game he is playing. If it came out the King Stud was hitting on guys it would ruin his reputation not to mention his street cred, or isn't he bothered, or is he planning on blaming Tim if it does come out? Tim is right to fear what Jonathon's intentions are, I hope Tim uses caution around him.

They are great pics of good-looking guys, it's nice to be able to visualise characters.

He is a very handsome and distinguished-looking gentleman.

I think everyone was paying more attention to the secret author stories, but that's over now so I'll bet you will begin to see those reactions again.

Aloha Albert

The plot thickens, just what has Dexter got in mind? Whatever it is it doesn't bode well for Carter. And what is Dexter's problem with Elena, his mother who he describes as 'just the woman that opened her legs for his father'? Learning that Dexter is Ethan's brother and feels cheated that Ethan got Jeremy instead of him has me thinking, especially as Carter looks more like Ethan than Dexter. Was Carter adopted, or is it possible that Elena had an affair with Carter's father at some point and Ethan was the result? As they say, the truth will come out in the end so this will be interesting to watch and see. Jeremy enjoyed himself for once, joining in the fun with the twins and Carter, and for a time became the man he used to be and noticed the likeness between Carter and Ethan. He even treated Carter properly for once, speaking to him, not at him and treating Carter as a person, not a thing. I Jeremy wants more of this he needs to pull his head out of his arse and do something positive before Dexter takes the opportunity away from him. This is Dexter's problem, he lost out once to Ethan and has no intention of losing out to 'an Ethan look-a-like', which is how he sees Carter.

Don't worry my friend, I know how busy you have been and the story will still be there for another day. That is the next best thing I've been doing, helping you with your project.

I'm good thanks, I've been getting a few things sorted which kept me busy. The most enjoyable thing was getting a story posted in the secret author anthology, and then responding to all of the comments and reviews. Gary left me a great review for which I am grateful for. Thank you @Headstall for your review, I love it.

That was an exciting chapter with lots going on. I have to wonder why Lanny thought his behaviour was acceptable, what has been happening at his home? Kids either learn from their peers or more often from what goes on in their home life. At least now he knows what not to do. As for the homophobic Karen, she should have been put in her place and not allowed to walk. I doubt she understands how lucky she is and my guess is she will try to cause trouble in the future. It looks like Jack is going to be a good friend, he seems like a decent guy. As for Skylar, well he may be a good guy but he is foolish getting involved with Brendan while assigned to the family as a professional, he could not only be disciplined he could lose his job and cause no end of trouble for Brendan and the kids. He has two sensible options, either don't see Brenan 'socially' or declare an interest and recuse himself from the case, but will he be sensible? Only time will tell.

Nope, there is no forgetting you, Gary, or your stories. I still have some left to read.

In a beautifully bitter-sweet chapter, both couples have enjoyed a night together, but now face the reality of parting ways. At least in Tim and Guy's case, they will see each other again soon. But for Ben and Samantha it will be much longer, can their romance take the pressures of being apart for so long? The reality is that for most, long-distance relationships do not last.

Hiya Gary

Aloha Albert

Unfortunately, it's a fact of life that love does sometimes die, or become one-sided, in a relationship and divorce happens but there was no need for Carter's ex or his ex's family to be so crass and cruel about it. Luckily, Carter has come out the other side of the upheaval and upset but he has gone through hell before doing so and is still learning how to deal with it. I hope that Carter is strong enough to cope with the stressful situation he is in. Jeremy's reactions and behaviour are unpredictable at the moment, we can only hope he continues to try to do the right thing as was trying to do with Carter, but who knows what he's going to do next? Jeff's relief at finding Jeremy safe is palpable and keeping calm about things is the best way to deal with it. Dexter on the other hand is behaving like a spoilt brat who dropped his candy in shit, I'm good with that because he is only digging a hole for himself if he keeps it up and hopefully Jeremy will see through him and kick him to the kerb. Let's see what happens next, whatever it is, it's going to be interesting.

I love this chapter, it's normal life at its best. Brendan and Jack joke about over the BBQ and are accepting of each other's situations and preferences. The CPS visit is intriguing, it was a good visit as far as the kids are concerned, but what about Brendan and Skylar? You made it obvious that if they met under different circumstances there would be a few sparks flying, is that a hint for the future or one of those non-starters?

Has Jeremy finally snapped? He is so engrossed in his grief that he probably doesn't know which way is up right now, this leaves me concerned for how he will behave when he wakes up. Carter has his ghosts from the past to deal with, and this turn of events has brought it crashing down on him, how will he deal with that? I don't know the connection between Carter and Ethan, other than the remarkable similarity in looks, or even if there is one, but I do wonder, what fate has in store for these two tortured souls. What is the connection? Is there one? Why has fate brought these two together? Is there some ethereal/supernatural power that has a hand in this? Whatever the answers to these questions I desperately want to know what happens next. This is brilliant writing and a fascinating story, I'm very definitely hooked.